Long before Anthony Davis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, they traded for Dwight Howard prior to the 2012-13 NBA season to become the next face of the franchise.
However, as it is well-documented, Howard and the Lakers failed to meet championship expectations and he eventually signed with the Houston Rockets in 2013 NBA free agency.
As the Lakers were forced to rebuild through the NBA Draft for five seasons, it did not work out for Howard as well as he has played for four different teams during this span.
With the Memphis Grizzlies set to waive Howard, he is open to signing with the Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Arash Markazi of Los Angeles Times:
Howard isn’t sure where he’ll wind up, but said he wouldn’t mind giving Los Angeles, whether that’s with the Lakers or Clippers, another shot.
At 33-years-old now, Howard expressed his love for the city of Los Angeles and Staples Center, according to Markazi:
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do love L.A.,” Howard said. “Staples Center is going to be rocking this season. When I played there it was rocking every night. The atmosphere is crazy, not just for the Lakers but the Clippers too. I just think all the hard work they’ve put in is paying off now. They’ve always been viewed as the Lakers’ little brother, but they decided to stand out and be different and you have to thank guys like Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul for laying the foundation for this team, and then what Doc [Rivers] has done has been great. This is just all that hard work paying off.”
As Howard bet $30 million on winning a championship with James Harden and the Rockets, he has not accomplished that goal and his career has been on a downward trajectory.
While the Lakers do have a roster spot available, it does not make much sense to sign Howard at this stage of his career. With DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee, and Davis, the Lakers have more than enough at the center position.
As the Lakers could use another small forward like Andre Iguodala or Kyle Korver, it will be interesting to see where Howard ultimately lands. Although Howard is a future Hall of Famer, it is unclear if any team wants to deal with him.