The Wizards are reportedly set to sign veteran center Dwight Howard, according to a report by Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
According to Weiss, Howard and the Nets have reached a buyout agreement on his contract, and he'll have to clear waivers before the Wizards can act. The Nets acquired the 32-year-old Howard in a pre-draft trade with the Hornets essentially as a salary dump for Charlotte.
The Wizards will be Howard's fourth team in four seasons. He averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds last season.
While still a formidable talent, the former No. 1 overall draft pick and eight-time All-Star has reportedly caused issues in the locker room in recent years. Former NBA player and current Sirius XM host Brendan Haywood noted last month that in Charlotte, “The locker room did not like Dwight Howard. Guys were just sick and tired of his act.”
For his part, maybe Howard got tired of losing in Charlotte and wants to play for a winning team.
“I want to be in a situation where I have an opportunity to help a team win,” Howard told ESPN last month. “That’s my only goal. All I need is a real chance and a clean slate where it’s not people talking about my past.”
With Howard's presence, the Wizards will be on the short list of favorites to contend for the NBA Eastern Conference title next season.
