Washington Wizards center Dwight Howard continues to deal with soreness in his back and won't play in the team's preseason opener Monday against the New York Knicks. Howard suffered the injury while training in the offseason, and the pain worsened after the former All-NBA big man took a promotional flight to China.

Howard signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Wizards in July. Washington traded Marcin Gortat to the Los Angeles Clippers and was in need of a starting center. The eight-time All-Star is remaining optimistic and says the injury is not that serious.

“Just a minor setback, but shouldn’t take that long for me to get back on the court,” Howard said, via Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “I’ve been feeling great all summer. Just something that we’ll have to deal with, but it shouldn’t keep me out too long.”

Since requesting a trade from the Orlando Magic, Howard has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. He’s been unable to stay anywhere and is reportedly a big locker room issue. The 32-year-old was fairly productive with the Hornets in 2017-18. He averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field.

As he was negotiating his buyout from the Brooklyn Nets, Howard was not considering signing with the Wizards, as the team didn’t really cross his mind. But when Wizards star point guard John Wall messaged Howard on Instagram telling him to come to Washington, Howard was all in.

At his introductory press conference with the Wizards, Howard said Washington was going to shock a lot of people this season. With LeBron James in the Western Conference, the Wizards have a chance to make some noise in the East with Howard in the mix. The back ailment, however, will be something to monitor all season.