Dwight Howard Jokes Lakers Fans Can Stop Tagging Him After Mark Williams Trade

Longtime NBA center Dwight Howard chimed in Thursday after the Los Angeles Lakers completed a big trade with the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.

Howard, who had three separate stints with the Lakers in 2012-13, 2019-20 and 2021-22, joked that Lakers fans won't have to tag him on X anymore now that the Lakers have a quality big man on the roster:

The 39-year-old Howard played 18 seasons in the NBA, but he has not appeared in a game since the 2021-22 campaign with L.A.

Since last playing in the NBA, Howard spent the 2022-23 season with the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan, and he has also played in several exhibition games overseas.

Originally selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, Howard put together a Hall of Fame-caliber career with eight All-Star and eight All-NBA selections, five rebounding titles, two block titles, three NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and one NBA championship.

He was at his best during an eight-year run with the Magic, averaging 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and he owns career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over 1,242 contests.

In his final NBA season, Howard appeared in 60 games for the Lakers and averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.

While Howard could possibly still be a capable bench big in the NBA, the Lakers now have a quality starting center in Williams, plus some decent depth behind him in the former of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko.

Last weekend, the Lakers shocked the basketball world by completing a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for superstar guard Luka Dončić.

While the Lakers were widely praised for the move, they had to part with one of the best all-around bigs in the league in Anthony Davis to make it happen.

That left the Lakers with an obvious hole in their lineup, and they addressed it late Wednesday night, acquiring Williams for rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

The 23-year-old Williams has yet to play more than 43 games in a single season due to injuries, but he possesses the exact qualities the Lakers were lacking in a big.

In 23 games this season, Williams is averaging a career-high 15.6 points, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game to go along with 9.6 rebounds. The 7-footer is also shooting 58.6 percent from the field.

When fully healthy, the Lakers now have a starting lineup comprised of Williams, Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and either Dorian Finney-Smith or Rui Hachimura, which seemingly makes them one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.