Mark Cuban announces Mavericks are out of Dwight Howard sweepstakes

Dwight Howard may not know yet which team he wants to play for next season. But he knows at least one team that he met with last week that he’d like to skip.

Howard hasn’t said anything publicly or privately about his intentions, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban basically said they’re no longer in the running.

“Got word we are out of the DH sweepstakes,” Cuban told Dallas media in an email. “We gave it a shot and it didn’t work out. It was truly an experience. At some point I will post our video and presentation we made.”

Those looking for an explanation won’t get any.

“I have no idea what team he is going to,” Cuban wrote in an email. “They wouldn’t tell me.”

The Mavericks were considered one of the possible contenders for varying reasons. Dirk Nowitzki still remains efficient, but amenable enough to allow Howard to take over as the team’s leader. The Mavericks cleared up plenty of cap space to acquire other stars. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has developed a strong reputation for handling his superstars. It didn’t hurt that Howard would pay no state income tax.

But the Mavericks have missed the playoffs for two consecutive years after winning the 2011 NBA title and don’t have any proven history in developing star-caliber centers.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com