The Houston Rockets are reportedly becoming more aggressive in their pursuit for Dwight Howard.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Rockets plan to trade Thomas Robinson—the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft—in an attempt to free up the cap space needed to sign Howard:
The Houston Rockets are determined to trade forward Thomas Robinson – the fifth pick in the 2012 NBA draft – to create salary-cap space for the pursuit of the Los Angeles Lakers’ free-agent superstar Dwight Howard, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Rockets have made clear to multiple rival teams that they plan to accept the best offer to move Robinson and eliminate his $3.52 million salary for the 2013-14 season.
Without the salary of Robinson and others, the Rockets will have the space to offer Howard a maximum deal starting at approximately $20.5 million a season.
Houston currently has $38 million in guaranteed contracts on the books leading into next season, enough to offer Howard a max deal. That said, one would expect them to exercise the team options they have on Chandler Parsons, Patrick Beverley and even Greg Smith. Trading Robinson’s $3.5 million salary enables them to do just that without compromising their ability to offer Howard the maximum salary allowed.
We also know that Howard is intrigued by the possibility of playing with James Harden. Given that, and Houston’s future financial flexibility, the Rockets have to be considered the favorite to steal Howard from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now about those Lakers…
Los Angeles can offer Howard more money than anyone else. Nine-figures and an extra guaranteed year could be difficult for Howard to pass up, but with the way opt outs are structured, he may be exploring free agency again in three or four years. That being the case, signing on with the Rockets for four years isn’t costing him much, especially considering how much income tax he’d be paying Los Angeles.
But would he leave? Would Howard dare spurn the Lakers?
He would. If there was ever a player who would forgo the glitz and glam of Los Angeles for a smaller market like Houston, it is Howard.
His first season in Hollywood left a sour taste in his mouth. When he wasn’t dealing with questions about his relationship with Kobe Bryant, his commitment to play through injury was being questioned. Not to mention he was also feeling marginalized by Mike D’Antoni.
Being sent to Los Angeles was a wakeup call. Howard was sheltered from the cameras and excessive scrutiny in Orlando. Even when the Dwightmare was in full swing—the first time—the media blitz wasn’t nearly as brutal as it would have been in the City of Angels. Which Howard now knows.
It takes a special kind of athlete to stand up and commit to representing one of the most ruthless markets in the NBA. The fans and the media can be great when you’re winning. When you’re losing, the world around you is ruthless. Fans and pundits demand perfection. The organization demands perfection. Anything less than a championship is a failure.
Howard doesn’t think like that. He’s never had to—until now. And there’s no indication that he does. This wouldn’t be so much of a decision if he did. The first-time-free-agent argument only goes so far as well. Howard could have enjoyed the wining and dining that comes with the territory having already expressed his Kobe-Bryant-esque attitude. But he didn’t.
Does that mean he doesn’t have what it takes to win in Los Angeles? That he’s too much of a coward to stay?
No, not even close. But it does mean he’s a threat to leave. The Rockets wouldn’t be preparing to ship out such a promising prospect if he wasn’t.
And his impending free-agent nuptials wouldn’t be as cryptic a mystery either.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
