30 Greatest Dallas Mavericks players in franchise history

12. Josh Howard

The Mavs drafted Howard with the 29th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The 6’7 forward saw his stock slip, but he quickly made teams regret it. Howard’s play was electric as he immediately cracked the rotation. He was a starter in year two and just kept improving. Howard took his game to a new level in the 2006 playoffs as he helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals before falling to the Miami Heat.

He was not stopping there. Howard was a first-time All-Star in 2007 as he was the team’s second-leading scorer. The Mavericks had the best record in the NBA before getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors. It was the start of three straight years where Howard averaged over 18 points per game.

Drama off the court caused the Mavericks to trade him to the Washington Wizards in 2010. Still, Howard averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 31.7 minutes per game over parts of seven seasons in Dallas. He has scored the tenth most points in franchise history, and he sits 16th in games played.

Josh Howard was 29 years old when he left Dallas, but the 6’7 forward played in just 76 more NBA games. He tore his ACL twice and was no stranger to making headlines. The 43-year-old is currently the head basketball coach of the University of North Texas Dallas.