The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly seriously considering acquiring Dwight Howard to fill the void left by injured center DeMarcus Cousins, according to Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated.
Cousins tore his left ACL in Las Vegas during a pick-up game, so he'll miss the entire 2019-20 season.
A name I’m hearing the Lakers are seriously interested in after the Boogie Cousins injury: Dwight Howard.
The Grizzlies haven’t bought him out yet, but he’s not expected to play in Memphis this season. Javale McGee is the only other center on LA’s roster.
— Rohan Nadkarni (@RohanNadkarni) August 17, 2019
Dwight Howard, of course, played one season with the Lakers back in 2012-13. He averaged 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds in 76 regular season games while shooting 57.8 percent from the field. Howard dealt with back and shoulder issues during his time in LA. The eight-time All-Star had back surgery in April of 2012 when he was still a member of the Orlando Magic.
The Lakers won 45 games that season and got swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Howard signed with the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2013. The future Hall of Famer didn't have the best relationship with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
As Nadkarni notes, Howard is currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but he's not expected to play a single game with them. The Grizzlies likely won't be able to find a trade partner for Howard, so they will probably waive Howard, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Howard, 33, only played in nine games last season with the Washington Wizards. He put up 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Howard underwent a lumbar microdiscotemy in November.
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