NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard Considering Return To The Orlando Magic?
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Dwight Howard saga continues with the veteran center considering changing teams yet again.
Once Howard’s third season with the Houston Rockets officially comes to an end this summer, the 30-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent. Although it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that Dwight stays in Houston long-term, all signs appear to be pointing to his departure come July.
According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report,
League sources tell me that the Magic have heard through back channels that Howard would entertain a return to the Magic Kingdom. Make no mistake, his first choice is to return to the Houston Rockets. But if Houston is not on board with that, Howard is exploring his options, and Orlando is on the list.
Back in 2012, the Dwightmare began with the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year supposedly not seeing eye-to-eye with head coach Stan Van Gundy. Rumors began to surface of Howard’s desire to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets but was ultimately dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team blockbuster.
After things didn’t work out with the Lakers, Howard signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Rockets in the summer of 2013. Dwight has a player option in the fourth year of his deal which he’ll likely opt out of in an attempt to sign another long-term deal with the Rockets or a different team.
Along with the Magic, Howard has been linked to a few others teams with NBA free agency looming. The Milwaukee Bucks were rumored to have been pursuing Howard heading toward the NBA trade deadline last month. Howard wouldn’t commit to signing a long-term deal with the Bucks, therefore, a deal never came to fruition.
Another rumor floating around is Howard landing with the New York Knicks in free agency. Dwight would consider signing with the New York once he hits the free-agent market in July.
As usual, there’s no clear indication as to Howard’s intentions once he becomes a free agent this summer. The Rockets, Bucks, Magic and Knicks will all be options, but there’s no telling which team is the frontrunner at the moment.
