Rockets GM Daryl Morey Avoids Question About Re-Signing Dwight Howard

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The writing appears to be on the wall in Houston. The once-dominant center Dwight Howard could be headed to his fourth team in six years. All signs point to another ugly divorce between the veteran center and a team he just didn’t mesh well with.

According to Matt Dollinger of Sports Illustrated, Houston Rocket general manager, Daryl Morey, was recently asked about whether the team will be re-signing Howard this summer. Morey made an effort to avoid the question as much as possible:

During the front office panel, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, who was moderating, asked Morey about re-signing Dwight Howard. Morey immediately replied: “Uh oh.” MacMullan pressed the Rockets GM on negotiations. He responded that the NBA’s max salary threshold keeps things simple. MacMullan asked, So you’re re-signing him? To which Morey responded: “I just said they had the concept.

At this point in the season, the Rockets remain in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Houston is sitting in the seventh seed in the West behind the Portland Trail Blazers (35-33) and dead even with the Dallas Mavericks at 34-33.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the Rockets miss the playoffs entirely if they’re unable to hold off the Mavericks and Utah Jazz (32-35) to at least secure the eighth seed.

As for Howard, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is rumored to be already considering other options in free agency. Howard will have the opportunity to opt out of his deal with the team this summer and seems to have every intention of doing so to secure a lucrative long-term deal in Houston or elsewhere.

The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks are two teams that have been linked to Dwight over the past two months with one of the two potentially landing him in free agency come July. Unlike in 2013, Howard isn’t the hot commodity he once was and may struggle to receive the desired offers around the league after two failed stints with the Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.