Could our long national Dwightmare reach a drama-free conclusion this summer? Two sources close to Lakers center Dwight Howard told Sam Amick of USA Today that they fully expect him to return to L.A. even though he has kept mum on the subject. In fact, the organization expected Howard to take over the Lakers even before the season-ending injury to Kobe Bryant.
Of course, Howard is notorious for changing his mind, meaning there's always a chance his outlook could change by the time July rolls around. The Mavericks, Rockets and even the Suns, who could make room for D12 with a few moves, are hoping that's the case.
Howard could definitely have a change of heart if he is not factor in the Lakers' offense sans Kobe in these final two games and they fall short of making the playoffs. Financially, the smart move would be to stay in L.A. as Howard's max extension with the Lakers would be for five years and $117.9MM while the rest of the field could only give him something in the vicinity of a four-year, $87.6MM ontract, as calculated by our own Luke Adams.
So in Dwight Howard language, that means “I’m definitely leaving” then