Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
At this point, it is clear that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul want to play together. Why shouldn’t they? Coming from similar situations – tons of talent, team can’t put it together for a ring – they would be perfect for each other. Not to mention, it doesn’t seem like either are ever happy, specifically Howard.
With the offseason in full swing for the Atlanta Hawks, these two have been rumored targets of the team. If they are going to compete at all next season, they will have to make a splash in free agency.
Their big name ‘star’ Josh Smith is set to become a free agent July 1st and we all know he will be gone as fast as a blink. Without Smith coming back, Atlanta will have the cap room to likely sign two max contract players to go with center – possibly soon power forward – Al Horford.
For the sake of competing next year, the Hawks should go all in on these guys. Offer them max contracts and see what happens. The worst that can happen is they say no, and the team returns to their backup plan.
But, if they can get the two stars to come together in Atlanta they could prove deadly. At their respective positions, the two are arguably the best there is in the league. That is, if they are playing to the best of their ability – not just physically, mentally too.
The Hawks could see their franchise get an enormous face lift with signing Howard and Paul. It would prove one of the best moves in franchise history – if they can keep them happy.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior NBA writer for www.RantSports.com also contributing to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman or add him to your network on Google.
