Dwight Howard Rumors: Grizzlies 'Aren't Planning to Keep' Center After Trade

The Memphis Grizzlies "aren't planning to keep" Dwight Howard after acquiring the eight-time All-Star from the Washington Wizards last week, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic.

Sankofa noted the trade was purely a "money-saving maneuver." According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Memphis saved $3.1 million by swapping CJ Miles for Howard, who is expected to be either traded or waived.

Howard exercised his $5.6 million player option for 2019-20.

The 33-year-old is coming off a season in which he appeared in only nine games for Washington due to injury, missing the first seven games of the season as well as the final 66. He underwent spinal surgery to relieve pain in his glutes in November 2018. 

He averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in his limited time on the court for the Wizards.

After spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Orlando Magic, Howard has spent the latter part of his career changing uniforms with great frequency. He has suited up for a different team in each of the past four seasons, with the Grizzlies being his fifth organization since 2016.

While Howard may not be at the same level he was at during his prime, he has proved to still be productive when healthy in recent years. He averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Charlotte Hornets in 2017-18, appearing in 81 games that season.