Recent Lakers rumors are that the Memphis Grizzlies have allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to talk with wight Howard.
After reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard had a mutual interest in a reunion with one another, recent Lakers rumors are about the possibility of Howard joining the Lakers. Shams Charania is reporting that the Memphis Grizzlies have officially granted the Lakers permission to meet with Dwight Howard:
In a perfect world, the Lakers would still have a healthy DeMarcus Cousins and be in great shape to contend for an NBA title. However, Cousins will likely miss the entire 2019-2020 NBA season with a torn ACL.
Although Boogie wasn’t the end-all-be-all for the Purple and Gold, losing the talented big man took away some significant hope from the Lakers. But competition in Los Angeles might be back where it was just last week if the Lakers can execute a Dwight Howard signing. Howard would make for an arguably even better back-up center for the Lakers due to his strength, athleticism, and motivation.
Howard isn’t the most mature option, nor is he the most reliable one. Howard is, however, a good center in today’s NBA. Everyone, and especially the Lakers, are familiar with Howard’s critiqued approach to the game of basketball. Additionally, he only played nine games last season for the Washington Wizards due to an injury-plagued season.
That all being said, Howard had quite the impressive year two seasons ago with the Charlotte Hornets. In a remarkably healthy season with the Hornets in 2017, where he played 81 games, Howard put up impressive numbers. He averaged 16.6 points per game to along with 12 and a half rebounds, and just over a block and a half per game. He’s incredibly strong and has recently proved that he still remains a force in today’s NBA.
Howard is also an athletic center and will fit nicely with the already-athletic Lakers frontcourt of Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, and LeBron James. Although it may not make sense to refer to Howard as “superman” anymore, he does run the floor nicely and jump higher than most big men do.
Howard is actually one of the leagues more athletic centers, which is valuable in today’s NBA because of how hard athletic bigs are to come by nowadays. D12 is significantly more athletic than a post-Achillies injury DeMarcus Cousins is, which may make him an even better fit with the Purple and Gold.
Maybe the most telling part of why Howard would make for a great pickup for the Lakers is the fact that he wants to win. Howard had early success in his career and once came close to these very Lakers in winning an NBA championship. Instead, he fell short and his game began to decline rapidly. He joined the Purple and Gold initially in 2012 and then became the epicenter of NBA drama, resulting in teams giving up on him. Howard is ringless and wants to finish his career with a legacy worth remembering, hoping to prove haters wrong.
So what could be better for his legacy than winning a championship and doing so along one of the league’s greats in LeBron? That’s right, nothing. Howard to the Lakers is even more crucial for Howard than it is for the Lakers and all signs point towards Dwight rejoining the Purple and Gold. If and when Howard signs with the Lakers, they’ll be right back in the mix of championship-contending teams.