We can go ahead and file this in the “No Sh**t Sherlock” category of NBA news and rumors, but a report surfaced Wednesday, hours before the Rockets Game 5 match-up with the Warriors that Dwight Howard is likely bolting Houston this summer.
According to @calvinwatkins, Bucks, Blazers, Hornets and Magic are the favorites to land Dwight Howard pic.twitter.com/ypJ3qn0mwa
— Cream City Central (@CreamCityCtral) April 27, 2016
If you had any doubt how enthusiastic Howard is about being a Rocket for a few more days and how highly he thinks of James Harden all you need to do is watch this now infamous clip of The Rockets bench after Harden’s game winner in Game 3.
When you realize you have to change your vacation plans. https://t.co/QWRP67EMmj
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 22, 2016
According to the report Orlando, Milwaukee and Portland are favorites to land Howard.
Howard is 30 now and clearly isn’t the player he was four or five years ago which is understandable, but he averaged 13 and 12 this season and played in over 70 games. He is still a potential NBA top five center for a couple more years.
Howard’s selfishness, fickle nature and narcissism haven’t made him the most popular with teammates. His inability to develop a reliable post game or mid-range jump shot and his declining ability as a rim protector have made him less desirable for GM’s around the league especially for an NBA that is going smaller and quicker. He may not be worth max money at this point but I believe some team will pay him that kind of money.
Portland doesn’t need Howard as they are built around guard play, shooters and active big men and seem to have a nice chemistry. A return to Orlando would generate some headlines for sure and be fitting as Howard is yearning to be the top-notch, highly popular superstar he was in Orlando before his indecisiveness caused him to skip town in the first place. Milwaukee seems intriguing as a better natural fit for a budding athletic juggernaut in the east, but he may not be the kind of influence or veteran leader the Greek Freak or Jabari Parker need.
He is an intriguing player that will grab the attention of some suitor this offseason but is it really worth max or near max money for a 30-year-old center on the down turn of his career with character issues? Dwight wasn’t happy in Orlando, Los Angeles or Houston, what’s to say he will be somewhere else?
