Who's desperate - or bold - enough to take a chance on Dwight Howard?
The list of NBA cities where Dwight Howard has worn out his welcome is expanding by the day: Just over 24 hours after the Charlotte Hornets dumped him to the Brooklyn Nets - taking on an even more onerous Timofey Mozgov contract in the process - the Nets agreed to enter buyout talks with the big man Thursday.
The Nets and Hornets join the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic among Howard's ex-clubs. That's 20 percent of the league, and more than enough reason for the remaining 24 teams to pause and consider the ramifications of bringing Howard into the fold.
Howard is a future Hall of Famer. He's averaged 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, and two blocks per game for his career, and his trophy cabinet contains three Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive Team selections, and eight All-Star nods. At the height of his powers, he helped the Magic to an improbable Finals trip in 2009.
In theory, Howard's contributions as a rebounder and rim-protector alone could provide value to a team trying to make the leap from the lottery to the playoffs, or from the sixth seed to the conference finals. He produced for a 36-46 Charlotte squad last season, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds over 81 games.
However, in recent years, Howard's departures have reliably left a wake of reports that he drove his ex-colleagues bonkers. Former NBA vet Brendan Haywood said Howard's Hornets teammates hated him. When he was traded away from Atlanta last summer, ESPN's Zach Lowe said he heard Hawks players were "screaming with jubilation into their phones." One Rockets source described Howard's relationship with James Harden as "cordially bad." Kobe Bryant admitted taking issue with Howard's gregariousness and his apparent unwillingness to be combative during their lone season together in L.A.
Most organizations can be immediately ruled out as potential landing spots for Howard, whose present-day skills suggest he can't be much more than a backup center. He shot 67.5 percent in the restricted area last season, but just 34.6 percent outside it, and he's zero threat as a 3-point shooter. Scratch off the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, and any other team with All-Star-caliber big men that doesn't need another 6-foot-10 body taking up space under the hoop.
Other clubs on the cusp of title contention, such as the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves, appear to have enough small locker room fires to tend to without adding Howard as an accelerant. At this point, it would take a team that's either very special or especially desperate to pursue the 32-year-old.
Here are six teams that might be considering Howard despite his history.
A dynasty looking to keep things fresh
Steve Kerr's playing career gives him plenty of first-hand knowledge about how difficult it is for a dynastic team to stay motivated. Though ascending the mountain each time takes roughly the same amount of focus and energy, the core of the Golden State Warriors has seen the view from the peak three times in the past four years. Making the long, hard climb again needs to be about something more than the legacies of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and their other stars.
Getting the first title for Durant, David West, and JaVale McGee a year ago, then earning Nick Young's first championship this year, brought extra meaning to those achievements. If the Warriors can rehabilitate frequent "Shaqtin' a Fool" honorees McGee and Young, then Howard might not be beyond redemption.
His recipe for success wouldn't be that difficult: rebound, finish the occasional broken play with a power dunk, and offer moderate rim protection. If Howard can do that while resisting the urge to make fart noises with his armpits, he could be an NBA champion by next summer.
Gamblers looking to make a splash
A handful of teams remain brash enough to believe they can finally reap the rewards Howard potentially offers: the spectacle that accompanies "eight-time All-Star!" plus a personality that can put an overlooked outpost back on the map.
The Sacramento Kings reportedly considered trading the No. 2 pick for what would almost surely be a one-year rental of Kawhi Leonard, and they could pursue Howard if only to have someone to slap on the cover of the season-ticket brochure. Similarly, the New York Knicks could look to Howard to occupy the spotlight while Kristaps Porzingis recovers from his torn ACL. Gambling on a past-his-prime player with interpersonal issues wouldn't exactly be incongruous with either organization's history.
Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks courted Howard at various points in his post-Orlando career. It'd be a shame to usher in Dirk Nowitzki's retirement with a season-long practical joke, and Howard wouldn't fit if the Mavs select a center in Thursday's draft (they've been strongly linked to Texas' Mo Bamba), but the veteran would be a statement signing for a team that once enjoyed perennial contender status.
The biggest question mark is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will be desperate - either to get LeBron James to stay, or to remain competitive if he leaves. In both situations, adding Howard would probably necessitate another big move; his inside-oriented game wouldn't accentuate the skills of Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. Still, a Kevin Love-Howard front line with George Hill and J.R. Smith in the backcourt - plus the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft - might be just good enough to get throttled by the Boston Celtics in the first round next spring.
Maybe you can go home again
At this point, only one fan base in the league could conceivably feel sentimental about Howard. He enjoyed his best years with the Magic, and though he has no obvious place on the roster as currently constructed, he may at least welcome a return to the team he once orchestrated a trade away from.
Recall that in three-and-a-half seasons, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was shuttled from the Sixers to the Denver Nuggets, to the Detroit Pistons, to the Memphis Grizzlies, and back to the Sixers. He was out of the league by age 34, and only the Sixers were there to support his last hurrah.
If this is the beginning of the end for Howard, maybe it's best if he goes back to where it all began, basking in Florida's sunshine and nostalgia.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)