Dwight Howard has left Los Angeles. After making the city the center of the NBA free-agency universe for three days, he is off to a mountain retreat to decide where he will play next season.
The unrestricted-free-agent center could be packing his bags for more than a short getaway should he leave the Lakers for one of four other destinations — including his hometown of Atlanta.
After meetings with the Hawks, Rockets, Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers, Howard’s agent, Happy Walters, turned to social media Wednesday to inform the world of the next step. “Great meetings with @DwightHoward. Group Going 2 get some Mountain air to clear the mind and make some decisions,” Walters tweeted.
Hawks general manager Danny Ferry, who along with co-owner Bruce Levenson and coach Mike Budenholzer made the pitch to Howard, was back in Atlanta on Wednesday. He likely is waiting for Howard’s answer before turning to other free agents to fill out the roster. Those decisions certainly would be affected by whether they have Howard to build around.
Ferry had no comment after the meeting. The Hawks have selling points to try to lure the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy product back home. They can:
- Offer a maximum contract of four years, $88 million.
- Sign another player to a maximum contract, this year or next.
- Make him the center of the offense, such as Budenholzer helped run with the Spurs and Tim Duncan.
- Play him along two-time All-Star Al Horford.
“We are going to talk to potential free agents and lay out our vision for the team and the culture that we are looking to build,” Ferry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before the meeting. “It’s important that we find the right players who we can build with and build a strong foundation moving forward. We need to be proactive in how we bring in players and how it affects our future from a flexibility standpoint.”
The Lakers, who can offer a deal for five years and $118 million, made a full-court press to keep Howard in Los Angeles. It started with billboards around the city urging him to stay. They brought Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash in to speak to Howard during their meeting.
General manager Mitch Kupchak issued a statement following the meeting that in part read: “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.”
The Rockets, who cleared salary-cap space to offer a max contract, were the first team to speak with Howard. They brought in Hakeem Olajuwon and James Harden as part of their pitch.
“I feel like we did everything and answered every question, and we’re the best option for him to win,” general manager Daryl Morey told the Houston Chronicle.
The Mavericks’ group included owner Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki. They also can offer a max deal. The Warriors are considered long shots, as they would have to work out a sign-and-trade deal.
The 27-year-old Howard was drafted with the first pick of the 2004 draft by the Magic. He spent eight seasons with Orlando before being traded to the Lakers last year. He averaged 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds last season following back surgery.
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