Dwight Howard came into last season hoping to replicate the magic from his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. That year, he won his first ever career title and played a pivotal role in L.A.’s march through the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Lakers were extremely underwhelming last season – and Howard wasn’t able to do much to change that.
In 2021-22 Howard averaged 6.2 points on 61.2 percent shooting from the field. He also chipped in 5.9 rebounds per game. Solid numbers for a backup center in the NBA, but also nothing game-changing
The Lakers’ offseason acquisition of Thomas Bryant has rendered him expendable, meaning he will need to play elsewhere come 2022-23.
As it turns out, there is one squad with a very legit desire to bring Howard in ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.
“I reached out to Dwight directly and I’ll tell you that there is mutual interest between him and the Brooklyn Nets,” reported Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson recently.
Dwight Howard’s name has been mentioned in blogs recently as a potential Brooklyn Nets off-season signee.
I asked him if he had any interest in the Nets. His response to @BallySports was: “Yes I am.”
“Would love that.”
Howard’s an NBA Champ & an eight time All-Star. pic.twitter.com/OV0VelA5Nq
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, M.A. (@ScoopB) July 27, 2022
The Nets are obviously in a weird place right now. They may trade Kevin Durant. They may trade Kyrie Irving. Or they may keep both.
Whichever option they choose will ultimately have very different impacts on the team’s fortunes, which in turn have a drastic effect on Howard’s potential worth to the organization. He could obviously be very beneficial on a championship squad; or totally useless on a rebuilding one.
If the Nets do decide to keep both their stars and contend for a title, Howard would slot nicely into the spot left behind by Andre Drummond.
Howard has been brutally honest on his Lakers future up to this point. He sees the writing on the wall. The Nets could offer him a reprieve, but it’s unclear whether they will or not.
The future Hall of Famer obviously comes with his fair share of baggage. The deeply disturbing controversy surrounding his 14-year-old son speaks for itself. As does his beef with Chris Paul.
But on the court, he does possess some valuable skills.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/3BSlduDEup
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 28, 2022
Will he get the opportunity to showcase them in 2022-23?
Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
