Juwan Howard to Sign with Mavs

No link, yet.  But the Mavericks have cut DJ Mbenga to clear room for Howard.  Apparently the two sides have agreed on a contract (probably veteran minimum) but Howard can't sign until tomorrow, because he hasn't offically cleared waivers.  Howard will probably help out at the 5 spot while Dampier is down, as well as back up Dirk.

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[Moderator's Note, by OptionZero:]

Link at NBA.com

Howard (6-9, 253) hit the open market after Minnesota bought out his contract and should join the Mavs on the season-opening two-game road trip, perhaps as early as Wednesday night at Cleveland. The power forward has averaged 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds over his 12-year career, including a stint in Dallas over parts of two seasons (2000-01 and ’01-02).

"Juwan was too big of an opportunity to pass up," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told mavs.com. "Juwan is a winner, he’s a leader and he knows the Maverick way.

"He can swing from the ‘4’ to ‘5,’ so it gives us tremendous flexibility on the frontline."

Howard should join the rotation immediately backing up Gana Diop and Dirk Nowitzki up front. The Mavs were in need of help down low, especially with Erick Dampier out. Brandon Bass was the only other healthy big man with NBA experience on the roster.

The team made room for Howard by releasing four-year center DJ Mbenga, who recently returned from a knee injury. Mbenga (7-0, 240) played three seasons in Dallas and holds career averages of 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 79 games.