Should The Brooklyn Nets Sign Eight-Time All-Star Dwight Howard?
Eight All-Star appearances, eight All-NBA selections, five All-Defensive selections, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, five-time rebounding champion, two-time block champion and an NBA champion.
This is what Dwight Howard has accomplished in what will end up being a sure-thing Hall-of-Fame career and it is puzzling not to see his name on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. Nonetheless, Howard proved to be one of the most dominant centers in league history when he was in his prime.
Now being 36-years-old, Howard is nearing the end of his career and currently still finds himself as an unrestricted free agent in the month of August, as most of the league’s attention is no longer on free agency. With training camps set to begin in about seven weeks, time is running out for the veteran center to sign with a new team ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season.
Since leaving the Orlando Magic following the 2011-12 season, Howard has played with six different NBA franchises, including three different stints with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has also played for the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.
Could Dwight Howard possibly add another team to this list, marking the eighth different team he has played for?
The Brooklyn Nets find themselves in an interesting spot this offseason not only because they look like a championship contender on paper, but because they are dealing with a ton of drama right now surrounding their two superstar talents in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Irving’s future in Brooklyn is uncertain given that the team does not appear to want to offer him a long-term extension at this time and Durant’s immediate future is in question because of the fact that he requested a trade a little over a month ago.
Who knows how these situations will play out over the next month-and-a-half leading up to training camp, but should the Nets mend these relationships and have their two All-Stars committed to the team for the 2022-23 season, Brooklyn will once again be a contending force in the Eastern Conference.
Adding experienced, championship-proven depth in their frontcourt is a must for this team, especially given that Nicolas Claxton and second-year big man Day’Ron Sharpe are the Nets’ only two real options at the center position.
Dwight Howard is not close to being the dominating talent he once was, but he is still a strong interior presence on both ends of the floor that could aid Brooklyn in rebounding, something they ranked 13th in as a team this past season.
Playing with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season, Howard averaged 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and shot 61.2% from the floor in 60 total games, 27 of which he started in.
Coming off-the-bench and giving the Nets 10-15 minutes per game, Howard could take a lot of pressure off of the Nets’ young big men and his ability to run pick-and-roll sets with the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could be very valuable to this franchise.
As things stand right now, Brooklyn is committed to 13 contracts for the 2022-23 season, with Edmond Sumner’s deal being partially-guaranteed. They have an open roster spot to add another frontcourt talent and Dwight Howard could definitely be a realistic option for this team.
Should both Irving and Durant be committed to playing for the Nets during the 2022-23 season, then signing Dwight Howard seems like a terrific addition for this franchise as they hunt for their first title in team history.
