Dwight Howard has had an unusual year. He has played only nine games this season after spending the offseason bouncing around. He was moved between three organizations after a summer trade and a buyout.
Even his buyout from the Brooklyn Nets was unusual. The Washington Wizards increased his salary for this season in order to tack on a player option for 2019-20, and Howard wound up giving back more to Brooklyn because of the bump he got from Washington.
While Howard is still recovering from a back injury, the team hopes he can return this season. Either way, he is likely to exercise his player option and return next year.
Via Fred Katz of The Athletic:
The team has remained optimistic that Howard will return at some point this year, even if there are only 19 games remaining and he hasn’t yet resumed contact drills. If he doesn’t, a return to Washington next season becomes more likely. And he’d be hardly the only center on the roster.
Howard, 33, is certainly past his prime. But there is no doubt that, when healthy, he can still produce as a player. In his nine games played this season, he averaged 12.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists while shooting 62.3 percent.
However, Howard isn't the only center in the mix for the Wizards next season. Big men Thomas Bryant, Bobby Portis and Ian Mahinmi are all currently on Washington's payroll, and some combination of the three could be back next year. This would be a substantial amount of Washington's payroll held up in one position.
The Wizards will have some decisions to make at the position this offseason. However, right now their focus is getting Dwight Howard back and healthy. The team is 27-37 and running out of time to make a push for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Follow Us
Subscribe