Dwight Howard has already set up two meetings to start the NBA’s 2016 free-agency period, and the Houston Rockets aren’t one of them.
According to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard and Marc Stein, Howard will talk shop with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics first, before moving on to other teams:
The Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics are the first known teams to secure face-to-face recruiting meetings with free-agent big man Dwight Howard, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN that Howard, 30, is likely to meet with as many as five teams in free agency, with a return to the Houston Rockets widely seen as unlikely after Howard declined his $23.2 million player option for next season.
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The Miami Heat, sources said, have not yet booked a meeting with Howard in free agency, but could emerge as a more serious Howard suitor after registering preliminary interest in him.
Let’s start with that last part: The Heat will only book a meeting with Howard if 1) Hassan Whiteside leaves and 2) Howard proves to be cheaper than Whiteside. If they become major players for any top name, it’s more likely going to be for a wing.
Atlanta and Boston make more sense. Al Horford’s future with the Hawks is unclear, and the front office already showed interest in trading for Nerlens Noel before shipping Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers. If Horford leaves and the Hawks are hell bent on avoiding a full-scale rebuild, Howard helps them remain competitive now. The Celtics, meanwhile, just need a big man in the middle. They have a top flight perimeter defense, and Howard would only push the bill as an effective rim protector.
Howard, however, doesn’t really fit the Celtics’ style. They are fast and furious and would probably only want to use him on offense as a pick-and-roll rim-runner, a role that he has tried shedding throughout his entire career. He likes to be a featured option and receive a lot of post-ups. There really isn’t room for that in Boston’s sizeless model—especially for a guy who still isn’t an efficient back-to-the-basket scorer.
Other teams, of course, will emerge in the Howard sweepstakes. If nothing else, you have to figure he at least lands a meeting with the Dallas Mavericks. His buddy Chandler Parsons is probably going to re-sign there, and Dallas won’t have many alternatives if it strikes out on Hoford and Whiteside.
All of which is to say Howard’s latest foray into free agency should end up being just as interesting as his last.
