Fansided

5 teams dumb enough to give Dwight Howard a max contract next year

By Rucker Haringey

Nov 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) scores a basket against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) scores a basket against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 14, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and center Dwight Howard (12) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 114-108. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and center Dwight Howard (12) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 114-108. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Houston Rockets

Dwight Howard might not be a great fit with the current Rockets roster, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to keep him this off-season. Houston GM Daryl Morey will be very hesitant to let Howard leave town without any sort of compensation.

It’s pretty obvious that the Rockets roster as it is currently constructed isn’t working. There are a bunch of bad fits on the team both on the floor and in the locker room. Fortunately for Houston, they have a GM who isn’t afraid to shake things up. That means that while today’s roster is undesirable, this isn’t going to be the same rotation after the trade deadline passes.

Morey is going to make a move to shake this group up. It might be jettisoning Ty Lawson or Terrence Jones, but the roster will change, and there’s at least a reasonable chance you might see a happier and more productive Dwight Howard because of it. He isn’t going to win an MVP or Mr. Congeniality any time soon, but there’s significant room for improvement.

No matter how bad Howard’s body language is, the Rockets’ front office understands this is a star driven league. You can’t let a player of Howard’s caliber walk away for nothing if you want to remain competitive. That’s the main reason the Rockets will be in the mix to retain Howard: to retain the value of the asset, not necessarily because of Howard’s value to the team.

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