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Dwight Howard flies to LA to meet with Lakers

The star big man is in Los Angeles meeting with Lakers brass.

USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

Dwight Howard hasn't officially told the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets where he'll be signing yet, even as reports swirl that the star center has settled on the Rockets. What we do know is Howard flew from Colorado to Los Angeles and is meeting with the Lakers to discuss his decision.

The three other teams Howard met with in the opening days of free agency -- the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks -- have each been informed they're out of the running. It certainly appears as if Howard-to-Houston is a done deal, and that the meeting with the Lakers will be conciliatory more than anything. However, the latest report was that the decision to leave $30 million on the table is weighing on Howard.

Howard was "emotionless" and "wouldn't look (Lakers brass) in the eye" during their meeting, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles. Dwight has reportedly opted to leave the Lakers because of Mike D'Antoni's system, because of Steve Nash's age and because he didn't want to be Kobe Bryant's sidekick for the next three or four years, according to ESPN.

As always when it comes to Dwight Howard, stay tuned to SB Nation for a situation that will surely create a few more updates. You know, there is a reason some find Howard a tad unlikable.

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