Celtics Could Target Former Lakers Champion in Free Agency

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It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics are in need of some reinforcements at the center position.

With Robert Williams continuing his rehabilitation following surgery during the off-season, Boston’s center rotation consists of Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Noah Vonleh. While Horford is certainly a championship-caliber player, the jury is still out on the latter two options at Boston’s disposal, leading many to predict Brad Stevens will be dipping his toes into the free-agent market sooner rather than later.

According to an Eastern Conference Executive, who spoke with Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney under the condition of anonymity, former Los Angeles Lakers champion, Dwight Howard could be the ideal addition for the Celtics this season.

“Dwight Howard does (make sense for Boston). They went and got Blake Griffin because they wanted someone who could fill in at the 4 or the 5 but the fact is, they need more help at the 5 right now. They need a rebounder and a paint defender. They’re trying Luke Kornet more and that is good for them but he is not a presence off the bench. Whatever you want to say about Dwight Howard at this point, he is still a presence. You are not going to beat him to rebounds and you will think twice about driving to the paint against him. That’s what they need there,” The executive said.

Howard, 36, was an impressive member of the Lakers bench rotation last season and finished the season with averages of 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game while converting on 61.8% of his shot attempts around the rim.


Howard Could Retire And Join WWE

During a  September 26 interview with TMZ, Howard discussed his immediate future in the NBA, noting that if he was unable to join a team in the coming months, he may look to change his career.

At one point in the interview, Howard makes it clear that he’s a wrestling fan, and would be willing to consider a career with the WWE should an offer fail to materialize from an NBA team in the coming months.

“I like wrestling. I could be the good guy sometimes, and I could be the bad guy sometimes,” Howard said, “Would I choose wrestling over playing basketball? Whatever opportunity is best, whatever opportunity happens.”

Still, the Celtics are in genuine need of a veteran center to help shore up their rotation, so one would assume Howard’s phone might start ringing as the season continues to progress.


WWE Willing to Discuss Terms With Howard

During a September 19 interview with Sporting News, Triple H touched on the topic of a potential Howard acquisition.

During the interview, Triple H made it clear he was willing to negotiate potential terms with Howard, provided the veteran center could make a genuine commitment to the sport and improving his skillset.

“The ball’s in his court…He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others, and was incredibly entertaining….So, when he says, ‘Hey, I want to give this a shot,’ he’s got my phone number…All he’s got to do is call me, and we’ll see what can happen,” Triple H said.

One can only hope that Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front office make a move for the veteran big man before he calls time on his stellar career and swaps dunks for chokeslams.

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