According to reports, the Atlanta Hawks have agreed to sign unrestricted free agent center Dwight Howard to a contract worth $70.5 million over 3 years. The contract cannot officially be signed until the end of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 7th.
Shams Charania of The Vertical broke the news on Friday evening:
Dwight Howard has reached agreement on a three-year, $70.5 million with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2016
Report: Dwight Howard Agrees to Contract with Atlanta Hawks
Howard’s contract will take him through the end of the 2019 season.
Howard averaged 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game last season for the Houston Rockets. While his rebounding numbers were up, his scoring took a significant hit. Throughout the season, Howard was not satisfied with his role on the offensive end. He was looking to have more touches in the paint while his teammates wanted him to do the majority of his work in the pick and roll. While he has not seemed to fully recover from his back surgery in 2012, Howard has shown that he can still have impact on both ends of the floor.
Looking forward, Howard will provide stability as a defensive presence starting at center for Atlanta. Known for his ability to rebound and alter shots, Howard will look to have a positive impact and fix his tarnished reputation. The Hawks will need Howard to stay healthy and bounce back from last year’s struggles in order to contend for homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference next season. Howard is going into his 13th season in the league, during which he’ll be 31 years old.
With the signing of Dwight Howard, Atlanta has clearly moved on from free agent center Al Horford. It will be interesting to see where Horford winds up this summer.
Check out the LWOS 2016 NBA Free Agency Tracker for all of your NBA free agency coverage, and be sure to follow @LastWordHoops on Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest NBA news.
