This has been a summer of reunions for the Los Angeles Lakers as after completing a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook, they brought back a number of their former players to fill out the roster in hopes of getting back into championship contention.
Among the players that returned to the Lakers are Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore.
L.A. was also linked to bringing back another former player in Danny Green, although he eventually wound up re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year contract.
Before going back to Philadelphia, it appears Green had a number of voices trying to convince him to play elsewhere, and among them was Howard recruiting him back to the Lakers, via Rich Hofmann of The Athletic:
Danny Green said Dwight Howard and George Hill tried to get him to L.A. and Milwaukee respectively. Also mentioned Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, Golden State and Charlotte as showing some interest.
He said in most cases, teams offered less money or had to sign-and-trade for him.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) August 12, 2021
Both Green and Howard were members of the Lakers’ 2020 championship squad before playing together again on the 76ers in the 2020-21 season.
While Howard’s market was not more than the veteran minimum, allowing him to easily return to the Lakers, Green received $10 million annually from the 76ers, which L.A. did not have the ability to offer him.
So even though the Lakers certainly can use a 3-and-D player of Green’s caliber, a reunion between the two sides never really made sense. As things currently stand, the Lakers have three open roster spots and have been linked to other potential former/current players of theirs like Jared Dudley, Wesley Matthews, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.
Howard expresses appreciation for Westbrook
One thing that has become apparent in recent years is just how good of a teammate Howard is and him recruiting Green is one example of that. Another example is his recent comments on Westbrook as he expressed appreciation for his new teammate.
“I think that he has been underappreciated, all of us really have been underappreciated. But I know that we appreciate each other, we appreciate what we each bring to the table for this team. So I think when having a guy like Russ, who’s gonna give you 15, 16, 20 points a night, he’s gonna get you 12 rebounds, he’s gonna get you 10 assists and he’s gonna give you 110% every night. How can you not appreciate it? I’m gonna tell you, I appreciate you Russ! And we haven’t even played on the same team yet or played a game together yet.
“But I appreciate what you do and I think everyone in L.A. is gonna appreciate it when you hold up that trophy at the end of the season. Why not?”
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