Dwight Howard to Explore Free Agency
By John Adair
According to Ken Berger of CBS, Dwight Howard will not give in to the wishes of the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Lakers would like a swift decision on whether or not their superstar center plans on returning to the team or not next season, Howard would like to take the opportunity to explore other options via free agency.
A summer removed from “Dwightmare”, let the sequel now begin.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Howard is worth all of the attention from around the NBA and media. When healthy, Howard is easily the most dominant center in the league, capable of taking over a game single-handedly.
In a year plagued with injuries and drama surrounding the relationship between Kobe and Dwight, he still managed to post impressive numbers of 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks on almost 58% shooting from the floor.
At just 27 years of age, Howard is unquestionably worth the maximum number salary wise for any NBA team. Luckily for the Lakers, if money is what the free-agent-to-be desires, they hold the upper hand. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, they can offer him a substantial amount more over the entirety of a contract.
Teams that were involved in trade talks involving Howard last year such as the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks are likely to try to sway the superstar away from Los Angeles.
With all that said, expect news involving Dwight Howard starting July 1, the day he becomes a free agent officially.