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Who could the Los Angeles Lakers secure as a free agent? Stephen A. Smith feels that the Lakers should sign Dwight Howard. The former center was a pivotal part of the 2020 NBA Finals. For example, Howard limited Nikola Jokic mightily in the playoff series. Even after his Lakers stint, he proved to be a beneficial center.
His rim protection, rebounding, and veteran presence are essential for any team. Smith took to First Take to rationalize why the Lakers should sign the veteran big.
“I haven’t seen him in a couple of years, I don’t know how he’s looking,” Smith said. “That all you need is somebody to defend and rebound, why not look at Dwight Howard? Why not look at somebody off the scrap heap? He’s always in shape, he never looks out of shape at all.
“Don’t get me wrong, I understand we haven’t seen him in a while, but Shannon brought up names like JaVale McGee. Who is available?”
Stephen A. Smith wants the Lakers to sign Dwight Howard
Considering that Jaxson Hayes is only averaging one block per game at 24 years old, the Lakers need another big. Insert Howard. Before the conversations about him arose, the Lakers had acquired Mark Williams in a trade, before it was rescinded. As a result, Los Angeles still needs a big man to operate in the paint.
After Anthony Davis was traded as a part of the Luka Doncic deal, they lost their only big. With Hayes, and Christian Koloko as two of their main bigs, it's a cause of concern. Koloko is a two-way player, so he can only play a certain number of games in the NBA.
However, Smith believes that the Lakers would need Howard for a simplistic reason.
“I’m being serious only from this standpoint,” You don’t need anything from him. You just need a big body that can rebound and kind of do something to play defense. I’m not telling you that the man is going to be what he once was, I mean damn look around the league what is there?
At the end of the day, Howard could make a possible return to the NBA, even though it's been a while. He's made his case to be on a championship team. Plus, he already has the chemistry with LeBron James, so bringing in Doncic will also help his game. The end goal is a title for the Lakers, through whatever means necessary.
