On July 1, Dwight Howard will be a free agent. The All-Star big man reportedly opted out of the final year of his contract with the Houston Rockets -- saying no to $23.2 million in the final year of his deal -- and is now in search of a new team.
NBA Draft and free agency rumors 2016: Who leads the Dwight Howard sweepstakes?
Howard won’t be in Houston next season, so where *will* he be playing? Plus: Dirk Nowitzki rumors and the Timberwolves’ prep for draft night.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Howard, 30, played 71 games in his third season with the Rockets, averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He never found his footing in Houston with running mate James Harden, though the Rockets did make the Western Conference Finals in 2014. This season, however, the Rockets barely managed to make the playoffs and were dismantled by the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
While he hasn’t lived up to his career averages of 17.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in recent years, Howard is still a valuable big man in the league. He’ll be putting in a lot of work this summer, working with renowned trainer Mike Clark in Atlanta, according to Yahoo! Sports. But where will he end up?
The Orlando Magic (where Howard spent the first eight years of his career), Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets are the favorites to land Howard, according to ESPN's Calvin Watkins, who chronicled Howard's lack of chemistry with his Rockets teammates back in May.
Rumors of Howard return to Orlando surfaced in March, first reported by Bleacher Report. It could make sense. He hasn't had as much success in the league since his time in Orlando, when he took the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. The Magic have Nikola Vucevic, a very solid young big man, already, but he could be a piece in a trade if Howard decides to go back to Orlando. The Magic have a young core with Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier in the backcourt, and Aaron Gordon as an athletic wing. Adding Howard would boost expectations.
For the Bucks, Blazers and Hornets, signing Howard would mean adding a veteran rim-protector who is a serious threat on the pick-and-roll in the paint. Howard doesn’t have the bounce he once did, but he’s still a valuable center in this league and will change the dynamic of whichever team signs him.
Dirk Nowitzki isn't really going to the Warriors, is he?
Like Howard, Nowitzki opted out of the final year of his contract, leaving behind his $8.7 million option. Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News was quick to report that the Golden State Warriors were interested in the veteran. But the thing is: Nowitzki isn’t leaving Dallas.
As Tim Cato of Mavs Moneyball writes, Nowitzki has been saying all along that he would opt out, and he plans to sign a two- or three-year deal. Nowitzki opting out gives flexibility to the Mavericks as they enter free agency this summer. Cato spells it out:
Nowitzki said he would re-sign, said he would honor his three-year contract, has always proven to be loyal and dependable, and really has given no indication that he will leave Dallas. The only exception Nowitzki has given to leaving Dallas is that he would consider it if Mark Cuban went into rebuilding mode. Since Cuban isn’t going to do that, then Nowitzki will return. That’s what he said. Is Nowitzki the time of guy to go against his word?
The Warriors might attempt to sway Nowitzki away from the Mavericks, but their chances are slim.
Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves are ready for anything on draft night
The Timberwolves have a new coach and the fifth pick in the draft, so they're expecting an exciting night on Thursday. They're also not ruling out trading the pick. New general manager Scott Layden even said he thought there would be more trade activity than usual on draft night.
“The amount of attention we’re getting from other teams, for the pick, gives you an indication of how good the pick is,” Layden told the AP’s Jon Krawczynski. “So we’ll see in the next 48 hours what that means.”
No matter what happens, Thibodeau is prioritizing adding shooting. The Timberwolves finished second to last in the league in made three-pointers last season. Whether it’s a veteran or a rookie like Kris Dunn or Dragan Bender, the beginning of the Thibodeau era in Minnesota should be interesting.
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