Dwight Howard was introduced by the Washington Wizards to the media on Monday, and as expected, it provided the press some juicy quotes to dissect. That includes Howard’s revelation that he only knew of his trade from the Charlotte Hornets to the Brooklyn Nets through social media, per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.
Dwight Howard said he learned he was traded by Charlotte on social media.
“It caught me off guard. I literally was about to walk into an event where I was about to speak to about 5,000 people and I looked at my phone and on Instagram, I see a message that says: ‘Welcome to Brooklyn.'”
Athletes finding out first on social media that their career paths have changed course is no longer fresh news, but it does not take away the fact that it can be disheartening for many of them. For a player to hear fans break the news to them before their own teams or agents do can be very disappointing. Even if they’re expecting to be moved, players would rather hear such transactions happen from the people directly involved in the process than from some random outsiders.
Although he was surprised by the trade, Howard does seem happy now that he’s found a new home in Washington. After the Nets bought him out, Howard cleared waivers and signed a two-year deal with the Wizards worth $10.94 million, with a player option in the second year of the contract.
Washington finished 29th last season in points from the center position, but the Wizards are expecting a major improvement in that department with Howard now in D.C. Howard averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season with the Hornets.
Follow Us
Subscribe