Dwight Howard leaves California to make decision about future

Dwight Howard wrapped up meetings with several NBA teams trying to sign him. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

It's isn't quite the same thing as LeBron James' "The Decision" in 2010, but for the teams who want to sign free-agent center Dwight Howard, they must sit and wait for his decision.

Howard left California on Tuesday night after meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers to contemplate where he will be spending the next couple of seasons, reports Yahoo! Sports.

Howard met with five teams-- the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, the Golden State Warriors and the Lakers, who all gave various pitches as to why Howard should join their team next season.  A max deal for Howard would be five years, worth $118 million if he stays with the Lakers. If he signs anywhere else, the deal would be four years, $87.6 million.

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The Lakers released a statement following their meeting with Howard, with general manager Mitch Kupchak was "hopeful" that Howard would re-sign with the team.

“Jim Buss, Mike D'Antoni, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Harris and I, along with representatives from our partners at Time Warner Cable SportsNet and AEG, met this afternoon for approximately two hours with Dwight Howard and his representatives Dan Fegan and Happy Walters. At the meeting, we told him how important he is to the Lakers team, franchise, fans and community, and why we feel this is the best place for him to continue his career. We are hopeful that Dwight decides to remain a Laker."