Getty Lakers stars Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook
One of the highest-profile players in the NBA is interested in leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to sign with an Eastern Conference contender.
Eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard, who appeared in 60 games for the Lakers last season, told Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on July 26 that he would “love” to play for the Brooklyn Nets in 2022-23.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is currently an unrestricted free agent.
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.
Howard averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 61.2% from the field and 65.8% from the free-throw line last season. The Lakers signed centers Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant in free agency this summer, so Howard may not have a spot in Los Angeles anymore.
The Nets lost their center, Andre Drummond, to the Chicago Bulls in free agency, so it’s possible that they could have interest in Howard.
Howard in April: I Love Being a Laker
Howard told reporters during his exit interview in April that he would like to re-sign with the Lakers, who missed the playoffs in 2021-22 despite having LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Howard.
“Do I want to come back? Why would I want to leave? I want to be cemented somewhere. I love being here. I love the fans,” Howard said. “I would just really like an opportunity to where I can really go out and go out with a bang. I’ve only got a couple years left. So I want an opportunity where I can go out and show my skills and talent and do it in the right way, but also win. I feel like I deserve that.”
Howard, who will turn 37 during the 2022-23 season, averaged only 16.2 minutes per game last season, the lowest of his storied career. His per-36-minutes stats were rather good, though. The two-time blocks champion averaged 13.8 points and 13.2 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Howard: ‘I Personally Still Feel like I Can Do More’
Howard isn’t the superstar he was during his early days with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. However, he said in April he still believed he could impact winning at a high level.
“Well, obviously, I personally still feel like I can do more and bring more, just given the opportunity,” Howard said in April during his exit interview. “But I’m grateful that I had another opportunity to come back here and play here in LA. I know it didn’t end the way that we all hoped for and expected it to, but looking back on this season and there’s a lot to be very thankful for. I thought we ended the season yesterday with some really good energy.
“I know that it was our last game of the season and we won’t be able to compete for a championship, but just the vibe and the energy that was displayed yesterday was very positive. So I think that the future of this team will be a lot better even considering the disappointing season that we had this year.”
A future Hall of Famer, Howard has career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 1,242 regular-season games with the Magic, Lakers, Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.