NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard to opt out of contract with Rockets
By John Buhler
Dwight Howard will reportedly exercise his player option on his deal with the Houston Rockets and seek one last big pay-day this offseason in free agency.
According to a USA Today, it seems as though Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard will likely opt out of his contract at the end of the season to become a free agent. While the Rockets’ current locker room situation isn’t the most ideal, the reason behind Howard potentially exercising his player option in his contract is to get one last big pay-day before he fully exits his prime.
With the salary cap about to increase, it makes sense for Howard to get as much money as he can before the small ball era of the NBA makes his skill set increasingly outdated in this age of the NBA. When Howard entered the Association in 2004, a back-to-the-basket center was still the focal point of the offense. His teams in Orlando were good enough to win NBA Championships.
However, a myriad of growing frustrations with teammates and coaches in all three of his NBA stops (Orlando, Los Angeles, and Houston) have led to a league-wide reputation of being at times difficult to work with. His recent list of injuries and his forever raw offensive game will make him a limited player in the NBA in a few years.
It’s wise for Howard to exercise his player option and seek free agency this summer, as he wants to earn what a franchise player earns one last time. Maybe one day the NBA will gravitate back to a game more contingent on great low post play, but for now, Howard is of a dying breed of true centers.
However, at 30 years old, he still has time to make a big impact in the NBA should he go to the right situation, whether that is still Houston or one of the other 29 teams in the NBA, just probably not the Lakers.