Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets, Warriors In Lead For Dwight Howard

July 5th, 2013 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

4:40pm: Following the Warriors' agreement with Iguodala, Golden State and Houston are now Howard's top two preferred destinations, according to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Aldridge cautions that the Lakers aren't out of the running yet, but says they seem to be trailing behind the other two teams.

4:27pm: Prior to the Warriors' trade agreement with the Jazz and contract agreement with Andre Iguodala, Howard had narrowed his options down to the Lakers and Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, with Iguodala now on board in Golden State, it's unclear if that changes Howard's outlook. The Warriors have not been informed that they're out of the running (Twitter links).

4:10pm: One suitor for Dwight Howard is officially off the board, and the All-Star center won't be pairing with Dirk Nowitzki in the Big D. The Mavericks have been notified they're no longer in the running for Howard, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).

As we noted in our earlier round-up of the day's D12 rumors, Sam Amick of USA Today reported that the Mavericks and Hawks had both been receiving "strong signals" that Howard wouldn't sign with them. At that point, however, no teams had been formally informed that they were out of the mix.

With Dallas no longer in play for Howard and Atlanta looking like an extremely unlikely destination, the Rockets, Warriors, and Lakers remain in the hunt. Golden State has been receiving plenty of buzz today, having agreed to a deal with Andre Iguodala while managing to hang on to chips to dangle in sign-and-trade negotiations. However, Houston has been frequently cited as the frontrunner.

Warriors Not Out Of Dwight Howard Sweepstakes

July 5th, 2013 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

3:40pm: If Howard chooses the Warriors and the Lakers are willing to negotiate, Golden State remains "ready and able" to work out a sign-and-trade, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. If Howard elects to sign elsewhere, the Warriors are comfortable with having added Iguodala, according to Berger.

3:20pm: Woj has now backtracked on his earlier report, calling it "premature" to rule out the Warriors on Howard (Twitter link). Golden State certainly has less leverage now, since the team would likely require the Lakers' cooperation on a sign-and-trade, and Houston still looks like the frontrunner for Howard, but the Warriors aren't officially out of the mix.

3:07pm: The Warriors have dropped out of the race for Dwight Howard, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). While no teams have been informed of Howard's decision yet, Golden State dropping out could clear the way for the All-Star big man to end up in Houston, tweets Wojnarowski.

Even after agreeing to sign Andre Iguodala to a four-year deal, the Warriors still could theoretically acquire Howard via sign-and-trade. However, Howard would need to choose Golden State, and then a deal would require the Lakers' cooperation. With D12 rumored to be leaning toward the Rockets, perhaps the Warriors decided to cut their losses and move forward with Plan B.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

July 5th, 2013 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Today is Friday, which means decision day for Dwight Howard may finally be here. Or it may not be. Various reports this week have indicated Howard would like to announce his decision today, but at least as many reports have suggested an announcement may not come until later in the weekend. Considering how indecisive Howard has been in the past, resolution today is far from a sure thing, but we at least seem to be nearing the final stages of a saga that's been playing out for the last couple years.

The big Howard story yesterday had the Warriors exploring the possibility of clearing cap space to sign D12 outright. It certainly wouldn't be easy, and there's no guarantee the big man will choose the Warriors anyway, but here's the latest on Golden State's efforts, and the rest of today's Howard rumors:

The Warriors, Lakers, and Rockets appear to be the three teams left standing for Howard, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who says the events of the last 24 hours have sent "strong signs" to the Mavericks and Hawks that they're out of the running. Meanwhile, a source tells Amick that the Warriors have been given indications that the Rockets are the "strong favorite" to land Howard.
Multiple teams involved in the race for Howard fear that the Rockets will be the winners, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Earlier updates:

The Cost Of A Dwight Howard Sign-And-Trade

July 5th, 2013 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

As Dwight Howard remains holed up in Colorado, weighing his options and preparing to make the biggest decision of his life, recent reports have suggested that the Lakers may be more open to considering a sign-and-trade deal.

The Rockets already have the necessary cap space to sign Howard outright, and the Warriors are trying to figure out a way to create that room as well, but the preferred scenario for both teams would likely be a sign-and-trade. So why wouldn't the Lakers seriously consider that option? Well, they might. But there are a few reasons why it could be a bad idea for the team.

1. The Lakers still believe they can re-sign Howard.

Until Howard makes his decision official, his potential suitors presumably don't want to make any moves that would turn him off or alienate him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted this morning that the Lakers remain "prominent" in Howard's mind, and L.A. still has the advantage of being able to offer him about $30MM more in guaranteed money than any other club.

If and when Howard decides he wants to sign with the Rockets, or the Warriors, or the Mavericks, then the Lakers could consider signing-and-trading him to regain some value. But until then, there's no reason for the Lakers to signal that they're exploring that option, lest they risk pushing Howard away.

2. The Lakers want to have maximum cap flexibility next summer.

As ugly as the Lakers' team salary looks for 2013/14, the books for '14/15 are relatively clean. Only Steve Nash remains under contract beyond next summer, at a salary worth about $9.7MM. That means Los Angeles should be able to create a tremendous amount of cap space during an offseason that could see marquee players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and others hit the open market.

In a hypothetical sign-and-trade with the Rockets, Houston's primary trade chips for matching Howard's salary are players like Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin. Both guys are solid young pieces, but they also have a combined cap hit of nearly $17MM for 2014/15, which would put a significant dent in the Lakers' future flexibility.

3. Taking players back in a sign-and-trade would be very expensive.

Regardless of where he signs, Howard will be in line for a starting salary of $20MM+ on his new contract, but the Lakers wouldn't necessarily have to take back that amount in a sign-and-trade. Still, they'd have to take on some salary. For instance, if the Warriors aren't able to clear room to sign D12 outright, an offer that includes Andrew Bogut and Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes seems plausible.

Many pundits have made the case that taking on Bogut's expiring $14MM contract along with Thompson or Barnes, and perhaps a first-round pick, would be a nice haul for the Lakers if Howard doesn't want to stick around. And from a basketball perspective, that's true. From a financial perspective though, there's a case to be made that the Lakers might be better off simply letting Howard walk.

Here's some quick and dirty math on how that hypothetical sign-and-trade with the Warriors would affect the Lakers' tax payments for next season: According to Storyteller's Contracts, L.A. currently has $77,381,035 on its books for 2013/14, not including Robert Sacre's qualifying offer. That figure only accounts for eight players, so the club will be adding more players and more salary no matter what happens with Howard, but for our purposes, let's just look at that $77.38MM figure for now.

Taking into account the CBA's new increasing tax penalties, and assuming a tax threshold of $71.6MM, a team salary of $77,381,035 would result in a tax bill of $8,866,811, for a total payment of about $86.25MM. Now, let's throw in Bogut's and Thompson's salaries of $14,000,000 and $2,317,920 (if the Warriors were to offer Barnes instead of Thompson, that second salary would be even higher). Adding those figures to the previous total brings the overall sum of the team's 10 guaranteed contracts to $93,698,955. The tax bill for that amount? A staggering $52,871,081, for a total payment of about $146.57MM.

Again, there are plenty of moving parts still in play with the Lakers' roster, so it's probably not fair to say that acquiring Bogut and Thompson would immediately cost the team $60MM. But taking on a sizable salary like Bogut's in a sign-and-trade deal would come at a significant price that far exceeds Bogut's already exorbitant $14MM salary.

Would it be worth spending that much money in 2013/14 to add long-term assets like Thompson and a first-round pick? If any team can afford it, the Lakers are probably that team. And L.A. has already shown a willingness to go that deep into the tax to re-sign Howard, so it's not as if the club is entirely opposed to the idea. But Howard has the potential to be a franchise player, whereas Thompson and a future first-rounder would likely just be secondary pieces.

For the Lakers, the decision certainly isn't a no-brainer, and the situation provides a perfect example of how the new CBA doesn't make it easy for a taxpaying team like the Lakers to continue improving its roster.

Warriors’ Efforts To Clear Cap Not Only Tied To D12

July 5th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

While there's been speculation that the Warriors would only attempt to unload big expiring contracts like Andrew Bogut, Richard Jefferson, and Andris Biedrins if Dwight Howard chooses Golden State, that's not necessarily the case, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger reports that even if Howard commits to sign elsewhere, the Warriors are still interested in trying to clear cap space, perhaps to pursue another impact free agent such as Andre Iguodala.

According to Berger, the Warriors have offered Bogut, Jefferson, and Biedrins to the Hawks, Jazz, and Cavaliers, three of the only NBA teams with enough cap room to absorb one or more of those contracts without sending out salary in return.

Berger writes that Golden State would have to move two of those three players in order to clear enough space to sign Howard outright, though I believe all three would actually have to be dealt. Even if the Warriors were to move the two larger salaries (Bogut and Jefferson), the team would still have about $45MM left on its books, by my estimation. That would rule out a max offer for Howard, but would likely be enough room to squeeze in a competitive offer for a player like Iguodala.

While Bogut has a little value on his own, Jefferson and Biedrins, who are making $11MM+ and $9MM respectively, have significant negative trade value. I'd imagine that any team taking on either of those players would demand multiple draft picks, including at least one first-rounder.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Asik, Warriors

July 4th, 2013 at 11:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While trying to rationalize a sign-and-trade involving the Lakers sending Dwight Howard to the Warriors from L.A.'s point of view, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insiders only) writes that Golden State could possibly sweeten their offer by adding another expiring contract to the table while agreeing to take on the rest of Steve Nash's deal in return. If in fact Dwight decides to leave, Pelton thinks that acquiring expiring contracts, future first round picks, and a young talent like Harrison Barnes would be much more preferable than seeing their star free agent walk away for nothing.

Here are more of the rest of tonight's miscellaneous notes:

Although 76ers GM Sam Hinkie chose not to comment much on the team's possible interest in Omer Asik, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Hinkie is very familiar with the Rockets big man, as he was part of Houston's front office when they signed him to a deal last summer.
ESPN's Marc Stein tweets that the most notable aspect of the D12 rumors from the Warriors' perspective is how they'll deal with Andrew Bogut if their pursuit of Howard falls through. Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area (via Twitter) adds David Lee, Barnes, and Klay Thompson to the list of players that will be owed an explanation as well.
A number of the Mavericks' point guard targets – including Monta Ellis, Mo Williams, Jarrett Jack, Chauncey Billups, and Jose Calderon – remain on the free agent market, and Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that the team is working behind the scenes with multiple agents regarding potential acquisitions. In another piece, Sefko details why Howard would fit and make a much needed positive impact in Dallas.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times goes through the potential repercussions for the four teams that miss out on signing Howard this summer.
John Canzano of The Oregonian endorses the under-the-radar moves Neil Olshey has completed recently for the Trail Blazers, even if they may not appeal to fans who were expecting a big splash thus far.
Kevin Sherrington of SportsDayDFW says that there’s virtually no chance that Mark Cuban sells the Mavericks even if things don’t continue to go well, citing a tweet from the team owner himself.
Jared Zwerling of ESPN NY recommends keeping an eye out for Reyshawn Terry and Toure Murry as players who could find themselves on an NBA team's radar soon (Twitter links). Terry, whom Zwerling thinks could be another team's 'Chris Copeland,' has reportedly played well overseas and could find himself on an NBA summer league team. Murry is currently on the Knicks' summer team and could be good enough to make a team's regular season roster.
Earlier tonight, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE tweeted that the Mavericks were expected to see if the Celtics are more willing to trade Rajon Rondo now with Brad Stevens as the new head coach. However, with a report that Rondo is keeping an open mind to the hiring, it might not seem likely that Danny Ainge would be receptive to trade overtures just yet.

Warriors Increase Efforts To Pursue Dwight Howard

July 4th, 2013 at 11:09pm CST by Ryan Raroque

11:09pm: On the possibility that the Warriors complete some deals and Dwight still decides to sign elsewhere, one source tells Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group that there's no chance of that happening, as Golden State would presumably only follow through with cap-clearing trades if he were to commit to them. Thompson II also says that even if the Warriors were to agree to some deals, they could still cancel them before the moratorium ends if Howard decides to head elsewhere.

9:41pm: Earlier tonight, Heisler (via Twitter) cited a Lakers source who said that the team would consider a combination of Curry, Barnes, or Thompson to go along with Bogut and a number one draft pick in a sign-and-trade for Howard, although Golden State hasn't offered any three of those young players.

6:52pm: Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says that the Lakers aren't actively looking for a sign-and-trade and still hope that Howard returns. If he were to be included in a deal, L.A. would want young talent in return and would have to find a third team to take on any expiring contracts. If the Lakers were to complete a trade with the Warriors and take back expiring contracts, they would still be accountable for roughly the same tax bill that they'd face if they were to successfully re-sign Howard, which is why they wouldn't want any expiring deals in return. Pincus adds that the Lakers would rather have Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill constitute their frontcourt than have to pay an additional $50MM in luxury tax in return for dealing Dwight (All Twitter links).

6:12pm: According to Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN, sources with knowledge of the Warriors' thinking report that Golden State has begun aggressively shopping their players in an attempt to clear enough salary cap space to land Dwight Howard. Stein tweets that although no move would be easy for the Warriors, the team felt "emboldened" by the impression that they made on the free agent big man during their meeting with him this week, enough to where it is believed that they had gained ground on the Rockets and Mavericks.

As currently constructed, the Warriors chances at landing the star center primarily involved convincing the Lakers to agree to a sign-and-trade, although Windhorst and Stein make note that Los Angeles would prefer to let Dwight walk and preserve cap space for next summer – in addition to not being so open to helping him land on a division rival. With that in mind, Golden State is now trying to shop expiring contracts to teams with cap space in order to create enough room to sign Howard outright. Such expiring deals include those of Andris Biedrins ($9MM), Richard Jefferson ($11M), and Andrew Bogut ($14MM), and sources say that the franchise has tried to unload all three this week.

It is reported that Golden State would be willing to include a future first round pick in order to sweeten a potential deal, but they may also have to consider dealing away some of their promising young players – such as Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson – in order complete a trade. Stein and Windhorst write that when the Warriors had tried to attempt to offload a large contract last year, prospective trading partners tended to include Barnes or Thompson into the discussion.

Mark Heisler of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter) cites a source who indicates that if a sign-and-trade were to materialize between the Lakers and Warriors, L.A. would insist that Stephen Curry, Thompson, or Barnes would have to be involved. According to Stein and Windhorst, a source close to the situation says that Dwight is expected to make his decision by tomorrow. All things considered, it'll be quite intriguing to see if and what the Warriors can try to come up with until then.

Dwight Howard Notes: Rockets, Lakers, Mavs

July 4th, 2013 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Plenty of you weighed in on yesterday's poll asking where Dwight Howard would eventually sign, and there was a fairly solid consensus: About half of nearly 3,500 voters believe Howard will end up in Houston, while the Lakers, Mavericks, Warriors, and Hawks (in that order) combined for the other half of the votes. One former Rocket great is in agreement with Hoops Rumors readers, as Hakeem Olajuwon told ThePostGame.com that he believes there's an "85% chance" Howard signs with Houston.

"You never know," Olajuwon added. "But after that meeting we had, I feel very comfortable that we have the best chance to get him."

Here are a few more Thursday links related to the biggest name on the free agent market:

Sources close to Howard tell ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) that Kobe Bryant's reported pitch, in which he proposed teaching the All-Star center how to become a champion, will be a "complete turn-off" for Howard.
As Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News points out, since deals can't officially be signed until July 10th, the team Howard chooses shouldn't rest easy until that contract is finalized, given how indecisive D12 has been in the past.
Yesterday, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com passed along a Howard-related conspiracy theory (via Twitter), which suggested that all the Houston buzz is a smokescreen and that the big man has been ticketed for Dallas all along. Today, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains why it's easy to shoot holes in that theory.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

July 4th, 2013 at 12:52am CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard has been visited by five teams since free agency opened, meeting with the Rockets late Sunday night, the Hawks and Warriors on Monday, and the Mavericks and Lakers on Tuesday. It appears Howard will decide on one of those five options, with no dark horse suitors like the Clippers lurking as possibilities. Happy Walters, one of Howard's reps at Relativity Sports, tweeted earlier this morning, "Great meetings with @DwightHoward. Group Going 2 get some Mountain air to clear the mind and make some decisions."

Here's more on Walters' tweet and Howard's free agency in general:

In the Lakers meetings with Howard, Kobe Bryant essentially challenged his teammate to learn how to become a champion, insisting that Bryant should be the one to teach him in L.A., writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, via Twitter, Mike D'Antoni, Steve Nash, Bryant and Howard all openly talked about last year's issues, leaving nothing unsaid yet still leaving the meeting on a positive note.
Regarding Stein's report that Golden State had forced their way into the conversation, Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News hears that Mark Jackson was very impressive and that the pitch included Howard being surrounded by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes (via Sulia string). This would all but rule out a blockbuster sign-and-trade.
Tim Kawakami, also of the Mercury News, provides an extensive breakdown of what is and is not possible when it comes to the Warriors and Howard. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld also gives his take on the potential match.

Earlier updates:

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Warriors made a real impression on Howard during their Monday meeting, and shouldn't be written off as a potential destination, though they still probably trail the Lakers, Rockets, and Mavs (Twitter links).
Howard hopes to decide by this Friday on which team he'll sign with, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter. A source tells Schefter that D12's decision is "totally up in the air."
There are still teams interested in further making their cases to Howard, but he appears to have shut down all takes to decide now, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to various reports, Howard and his camp are heading to Aspen to discuss their options.
Howard and his camp will be heading "off the grid" to either a resort area in Colorado or a remote ranch in Montana to weigh the big man's options over the next few days, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
One source to Berger, on Howard's meetings this week: "The meetings were all very interesting. Each [was] very individualized for the team and city they repped. Super impressed by all."
Berger also speculates on how Howard will announce his decision, predicting that while a LeBron James-esque production won't happen, D12 could make his announcement via a YouTube video.
A decision could come from Howard by Friday, but it's also possible he'll "let it bleed into the weekend," says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
A source with knowledge of Howard's decision-making process still believes the Rockets are the favorites, according to Wojnarowski. "The Rockets have put themselves in position to pull this off," the source said. "If he wants to win right now – and be set up to keep winning – it's hard to make a case for anyone but Houston."

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Dwight Howard?

July 3rd, 2013 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

As we noted in our round-up of today's Dwight Howard news and rumors, a decision by the All-Star center appears to finally be on the way. Having met with the Rockets, Warriors, Hawks, Mavericks, and Lakers, Howard seems to be done listening to pitches. He and his reps have headed "off the grid" to Aspen, Colorado to weigh the options on the table, with a decision potentially coming by the weekend.

A report earlier today suggested that Howard's choice remains "totally up in the air," even if some options seem more likely than others. So what do you think? Will the sway of an extra guaranteed year convince D12 to return to Los Angeles? Will the appeal of teaming up with James Harden or Dirk Nowitzki mean he flees to Texas? Will he head home to play in Atlanta? Or could the Lakers actually agree to a sign-and-trade that would pair him with Stephen Curry on the Warriors?