15 NBA players certain to be overpaid in free agency
By Brad Rowland
4. Dwight Howard
In my opinion, Dwight Howard is the best player on this 15-man list. That alone won’t keep him from being overpaid, at least if you consider length of contract.
It would be fairly easy to construct an argument that Howard remains a “max-worthy” player when discussing the 2016-2017 season. The now 30-year-old big man averaged 15.4 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes this season, and Howard is still an asset in protecting the rim with enough mobility to effectively guard in the pick-and-roll (when he wants to). The signs of age are beginning to be reflected in Howard’s game, though, and that is the point of concern with his next deal.
While he was always more skilled than the general public would like to believe, much of Howard’s drastic impact defensively came from being one of the more physically dominant bigs in recent history. His pure length isn’t terribly impressive, but few bigs could present the type of mobility and explosion of Howard, and that is largely gone amid issues with his back and knees.
The trouble is that NBA teams or, at least one NBA team, will likely value him as “prime” Dwight Howard. That almost certainly means a four-year deal valued at more than $100 million in total, and even if Howard “earns” that type of coin in years one and two, the end of the contract looks to be very ugly.
Dwight Howard, despite his baggage, remains a very nice player to have on a roster, but he’s going to be paid like the superstar he once was and that is a problem.
Next: 3. Meyers Leonard