Report: Rockets trying to land Dwight Howard AND Josh Smith

Dwight Howard wants the Rockets to add a third star, and Josh Smith is Houston’s backup plan to Howard.

It was only a matter of time until these plans merged.

Sam Amick of USA Today:

According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the Rockets’ Monday meeting with free agent forward Josh Smith in Los Angeles included a discussion about a possible partnership with him and his childhood friend from Atlanta in Howard.Smith has long been known to be on the Rockets’ radar, but he is not viewed solely as a backup plan to Howard should he decide to sign elsewhere and the possibility remains of another superteam being created with Howard and Smith joining franchise centerpiece James Harden.

The simplest way to get Smith to the Rockets would be a sign-and-trade, but the Hawks, who covet Howard themselves, probably wouldn’t agree to a deal that helps Houston until Howard has already signed with Houston.If the salary cap is set at the expected $58.5 million, the Rockets don’t even have enough cap room to offer Howard a max contract, which would start at $20,513,178. However, Houston could get there by waiving James Anderson

, Greg Smith,

Patrick Beverley and

Tim Ohlbrecht – all of whom have fully unguaranteed contracts – and applying the stretch provision to Royce White. But that would leave few eliminate a couple assets (Smith and Beverly) Atlanta might find appealing in a sign-and-trade.Maybe the Hawks like Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, or if not the Rockets could trade those two elsewhere to clear room for signing Smith outright, but Houston could take back only minimal salary in return.Howard and Smith pairing up in Houston is possible, but it would take plenty of finagling on the Rockets’ part.