Dwight Howard Rumors: Center Doesn't Have Free-Agent Market Outside of Lakers
Dwight Howard just won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers and settled nicely into a supporting role for the team, but he doesn't appear to have a robust market in free agency.
Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported the center isn't garnering much interest with teams on a contract for more than the veteran's minimum. According to Mannix, the Lakers "may be the only team willing to offer him a contract, much less a more lucrative deal."
Howard's value had cratered heading into the 2019-20 campaign. He was on his fifth different team in as many seasons and made just nine appearances for the Washington Wizards the year prior.
The 34-year-old reportedly rubbed his teammates the wrong way, and he was reluctant to take a back seat despite his age and the NBA's trend toward relying less on traditional centers.
The perception around Howard changed thanks to his work with the Lakers. He averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.9 minutes per game. He provided rim protection and rebounding while shooting 72.9 percent.
That may have proved to be a double-edged sword for the eight-time All-Star. He's an aging center who's no longer elite and is probably at his best when coming off the bench.
That isn't a player general managers will break the bank to sign, especially when Montrezl Harrell, Tristan Thompson, Nerlens Noel, Hassan Whiteside, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are all available too.
Howard would help any number of teams that need to strengthen their frontcourt, but his days as a highly paid big man are over.
