© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Did The Los Angeles Lakers Make A Mistake?
I believe the Los Angeles Lakers should have signed Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season when he was a productive role player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The former superstar averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 61.2% from the field in 60 games (27 starts).
He is currently a free agent that is available to be signed by any team in the league.
Did The Los Angeles Lakers Make A Mistake Not Signing Him?
The Lakers are currently down 3-0 in their first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets.
They have had a lot of trouble slowing down Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, who have a lot of size.
While Howard is no longer in his prime, he is a former Defensive Player of The Year and could have provided good defense off the bench.
At this stage of his career, Howard could also have been (likely) signed for the veteran's minimum, so there would have been no risk in adding him to the roster (other than having to waive a player to make room).
Since the Lakers are on the verge of elimination, it's too late to sign Howard, but it's very possible that he could have helped them be more competitive in the series if they had signed him before the playoffs.
In addition to the Lakers, the eight-time NBA All-Star has also spent time with the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards over 18 seasons in the league.
It will be interesting to see if a team will sign Howard this summer.
Apr 7, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) hangs on
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Game 4 of the series with the Nuggets will be on Saturday evening in Los Angeles.
