Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the cheap free-agent center options

By Jason Reed | Jun 27, 2021

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 20: Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Hassan Whiteside #20 of the Sacramento Kings at the Wells Fargo Center on March 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 129-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Dwight Howard

Now this is the move that the Los Angeles Lakers could have easily changed that we can call a mistake. Bringing in Marc Gasol made sense, but letting Dwight Howard walk for a minimum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers was less than ideal.

Sure, the team got Montrezl Harrell and we were excited about that at the time but it would have still been nice to have Howard back. As evident from the team eventually getting Drummond, they could have re-signed him instead of using a roster spot on Jared Dudley, or simply re-sign him and use the MLE on someone else.

Regardless, there was a very easy path for Dwight Howard to come back to the Lakers, especially with it seeming like he wanted to return. That is in the past and he is now the second-best cheap center on the market for the Lakers to pursue.

While Howard is the second-best fit for the Lakers I would probably give him the lowest odds of actually signing with LA. The odds of him having a third stint in LA seems slim to none, especially with the way last offseason transpired.

If there are no other offers from good teams on the table then the Lakers would win by default but it does seem highly unlikely that he lands in LA, even though he would be a solid addition for the team.

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