Dwight Howard was described as humble and showed a willingness to change and be coached in his free-agency meeting with the Hawks last week.
Time will tell.
The Hawks agreed to a three-year, $70.5 million contract with the eight-time All-Star center. The move, coupled with the re-signing of their own free-agent Kent Bazemore, was part of the reason the team parted ways with Al Horford.
Howard had issues upon leaving the Magic after eight seasons. His one season with the Lakers left much to be desired. In the past three seasons with the Rockets, the pairing with James Harden proved not a good fit. Howard opted out of the final year of his contract with the Rockets.
There were overtures that Howard wanted to return to his hometown of Atlanta of late. Also, there were those close to Howard who believed the Hawks were indeed his first choice went he entered free agency. Just hours after a lengthy afternoon meeting last Friday, the Hawks and Howard agreed to a deal.
Horford agreed to a deal with the Celtics on a four-year, $113 million max deal the next day.
Howard appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA in May and was asked by co-host Charles Barkley why he appeared disinterested at times with the Rockets.
“I’m always interested in winning,” Howard said on the broadcast. “As a big, sometimes you want to feel a part of what is going on. If I could bring the ball up the court, shoot 3’s, dribble between my legs, do all that stuff, that would be great. But I have to rely on my teammates in certain aspects to get the ball. Now, there have been times when I’ve gotten upset and taken myself out of games and situations. That’s on me. And I have to grow and be a better player at that. I’m always interested in the game.”
Howard’s answers to questions about his willingness to accept a role and be coached was a key reason the Hawks offered him a contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
According to Howard’s agent, Perry Rogers, Howard was “very impressed” with the vision of the Hawks’ franchise by coach Mike Budenholzer and general manager Wes Wilcox.
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