The latest news, rumors and analysis surrounding superstar Dwight Howard as he enters 2016 NBA Free Agency.
Friday, July 1:
Shams Charania of The Vertical was the first to report that Howard is heading home to Atlanta with the Hawks.
Dwight Howard has reached agreement on a three-year, $70.5 million with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2016
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that the meeting between Howard and the Hawks went well.
According to Woj, they “made a strong connection.”
Howard is from Atlanta.
Atlanta Hawks and free agent Dwight Howard made a strong connection in meeting today, sources tell @TheVertical. There's traction there.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2016
Thursday, Jun. 30:
Calvin Watkins of ESPN reported that Howard will be looking for a salary starting at $24 million next season.
Per Watkins, who covers the Houston Rockets for ESPN, Howard will hold the meetings in his hometown of Atlanta.
As of now Howard has meetings set up with just the Celtics and Hawks.
Howard turned down his player option for next season, valued at $23.2 million.
Wednesday, Jun. 29:
Sources told ESPN that Howard will meet with the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics. The Hawks are undoubtedly pursuing him as insurance in case Al Horford bolts. Howard seems like the best fit with the Celtics who are in desperate need of a rim protector.
Per ESPN, Howard is likely to meet with as many as five teams, with the Miami Heat becoming contenders if Hassan Whiteside signs elsewhere.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York reported on Jun. 22, that Dwight would consider the New York Knicks. This echoes a similar Begley report from back in March.
Dwight Howard is one of the most intriguing free agents in the summer of 2016. He’s not even close to the player he once was. Injuries took care of that.
His attitude rubs people the wrong way. People call him a big kid and say he doesn’t take the game seriously. There’s definitely some truth to that.
There’s also truth to the fact that he can still contribute to an NBA team. As always, the question will be about money. Are the Knicks, or any other team for that matter, willing to pay $20 million a season for this version of Dwight?
They shouldn’t. But who knows, it’s free agency.
