Report: Dwight Howard asked Houston Rockets to add third max contract

Dwight Howard met with the Houston Rockets at the beginning of free agency. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets wasted little time in the NBA's free agency period to attempt to lure Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard to Houston on Monday. A Rockets contingent led by GM Daryl Morey, head coach Kevin McHale, guard James Harden and forward Chandler Parsons met with Howard at the Bel-Air hotel in Los Angeles for more than two hours early Monday morning.

According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, Howard asked Morey if he would be able to offer another player a max-contract deal in addition to the contracts of Harden and Howard if he were to sign. After acquiring Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets signed Harden to a five-year, max-contract deal worth $80 million.

Rockets head coach Kevin McHale fielded concerns on how Howard would fit within a "retooled" Houston offense along with the team's potential to win with Howard as its center. Howard's main focus during his meeting with the Rockets was about the potential to win championships in Houston. Parsons said the meeting with Howard "went well" and Parsons thinks the Rockets are a "great" fit.

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In an attempt to sign Howard to a max contract, the Rockets traded forward Thomas Robinson to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for two second-round picks and the rights to Kostas Papanikolau and Marko Todorovic. According to the report from the Houston Chronicle, Howard will not make a rushed decision during his free-agency period.

Howard is set to meet with the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors on Monday and the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers on Tuesday.

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