"Missed on Giannis because of it" - Mark Cuban on why Dwight Howard was his most disappointing free agency pursuit

Before the Dallas Mavericks ' acquisition of Klay Thompson this offseason, the team has rarely been a prime choice for free agents. It did nearly acquire some marquee names in the past, though, including Dwight Howard in the 2013 offseason.

Mark Cuban said that recruiting the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was his most frustrating free agency pursuit "for sure." What irked him about it even more in hindsight was that the Mavs missed out on drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason in hopes of landing Howard.

"We wanted to get a big to be next to Dirk [Nowitzki], and we had cap room finally because we never had cap room since the time I'd been there," Cuban said while discussing Dwight on the "Roommates Show." "We thought we had something worked out with him, and we actually traded down in the draft to get enough cap room and missed on the 'Greek Freak,' on Giannis because of it."

The forgettable 2013 summer

According to the former Mavs majority owner, there were people in the front office who were high on Antetokounmpo . However, he preferred maximizing whatever was left of Nowitzki's window because the former superstar was entering his age-35 season.

So, to create enough room to bring Howard to Dallas, the team sent its No. 13 pick in the 2013 draft to the Boston Celtics in exchange for the 16th selection, which it traded again two spots down. As it turned out, Giannis was taken 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Mavs could have signed Howard and drafted Antekounmpo in a perfect world. Instead, the big man they ended up with was Samuel Dalembert, and the first-round selection they got was Shane Larkin. Both players lasted just one year in Dallas.

Howard spurning Cuban

It's unclear why Mark, at the time, thought it was a good idea to put all the Mavs' eggs in the Dwight Howard and Chris Paul (whom they also targeted) baskets. Paul immediately re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, while Howard agreed to meet with five suitors.

Dallas was a long shot, especially since the Houston Rockets, with whom the eight-time All-Star ultimately signed, had an up-and-coming superstar in James Harden. That didn't stop Cuban from going berserk , though, contending that "young kids" "make mistakes."

The Mavs can probably find comfort in that their failed recruitment of Howard and their struggles over the following years paved the way for them to secure a high enough selection in the 2018 draft, which they used to get Luka Doncic.

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