After courting Chandler Parsons with a near-max deal on Thursday evening, the Trail Blazers will turn to pursuing free agent center Dwight Howard, with their greatest attraction resting in the friendship of Parsons and Howard.
Howard and Parsons formed their bond in Houston during the 2013-2014 season, and as early as February of this year, Parsons indicated he wanted to reunite with Howard.
“Obviously, I have a really close relationship with Dwight, and one year wasn’t enough playing with him in Houston,’’ Parsons told USA Today in February. “”I was a big reason why he went there, so I’ll have to revisit that when the time is appropriate. The relationship I had with him, and making him feel comfortable, that was big.’’
Despite the Blazers’ reported offer to Parsons after a Thursday meeting in Los Angeles – The Vertical said it was four years, $94 million – the small forward will meet with Memphis today, where the Grizzlies are also expected to aggressively puruse.
Howard, meanwhile, has been reported to have meetings lined up with only Boston and Atlanta. But if the Blazers get Parsons in the fold, the picture might change.
“We still talk all the time,’’ Parsons told USA Today in February. “We’re friends, on and off the court. And I don’t just do it because he’s a free agent. It’s just a relationship we have built over the years. He still has a lot left in the tank … I’m a big fan of his game.’’
