12:15pm: In addition to the six clubs reported by Spears, two other teams have expressed interest in Howard, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune. Howard is seeking a multiyear contract, according to Smith (Twitter link).
10:10am: Nearly two and a half years after the Mavericks traded him to Washington in a seven-player blockbuster, Josh Howard is drawing interest from his old team. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Mavs are one of a handful of teams showing interest in the small forward. Spears names the Jazz, Lakers, Nets, Spurs, and Celtics as other potential suitors.
After spending 2011/12 with the Jazz, Howard expressed a desire to find the best fit in free agency this summer, adding that he'd like the opportunity to start. A starting gig may be a long shot for the veteran forward, but it sounds as if he's drawing interest as a rotation player from plenty of contenders.
Howard, 32, has signed modest one-year deals the past two offseasons, with a torn ACL and knee surgery having slowed him down in recent years. Prior to the 2009/10 campaign, Howard had posted career averages of 15.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 17.8 PER in six seasons. However, in his last three years, injuries have limited Howard to 96 total games, in which his averages have slipped to 10.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 11.1 PER.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors previewed Howard's free agency right here.
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