NBA Free Agency 2016: Who Will Want Dwight Howard?

With Dwight Howard rapidly declining by the season and likely on the outs in Houston, is there any team that will pay a king’s ransom for the fallen star?

Let me start off by saying what everyone else has been thinking when it comes to Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard: he should’ve stayed in Orlando.

There, he was the most physically gifted and dominant center in the league, being hailed as the best big man to come along since Shaquille O’ Neal. Honestly, he was one of the best players in the world — a consistent 20 and 10 threat who led the Magic to their second Finals appearance in franchise history in 2009.

On top of that, his energetic, happy-go-lucky personality made him a fan favorite both locally and nationally.

The world was literally his oyster.

Boy, has that changed.

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Ever since Howard pulled off a massive coup that included getting head coach Stan Van Gundy fired and muscling his way to Los Angeles in a trade that didn’t really benefit any of the parties involved in the long run, Howard’s reputation — and overall skill — has taken an enormous hit.

Back issues hindered his ability to perform in Los Angeles and off-court tensions over leadership with resident star and notorious hard-ass Kobe Bryant didn’t make things any better. That offseason, Howard fled the bright lights of Hollywood for what he perceived to be a more relaxed situation in Houston with a developing superstar in James Harden.

While the marriage started as a successful one, the fun didn’t last long for Howard, who soon found himself as just another Pip in the James Harden show.

Now years removed from his glory days, Howard finds himself as a 30-year-old, injury-riddled center with a horrifically undeveloped offensive game, an ever-declining defensive presence and a reputation for not getting along with coaches and teammates. For those reasons, many find it highly unlikely that the Rockets will retain his services now that their season has ended.

That then begs the question: who will take a gamble on a player who seems to have so many more negatives than positives?

The good news for Howard is that his athleticism and strength alone are enough for him to still be a consistent double-double threat and his averages of 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season prove that. He also still averages a decent amount of blocks (1.6 a night) to be considered a solid rim protector.

Luckily for Howard, there are still plenty of teams — and contending ones at that — in the market for a solid post player.

Teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers all come to mind as playoff squads with subpar starting centers that could be looking to nab Howard to fill their respective voids. That’s not even counting teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat who could see their prized bigs go elsewhere this offseason and may look to Howard to replace them.

Factor in young, up-and-coming rosters like those of the Milwaukee Bucks and (what do you know?) Orlando Magic that desperately need some rim protection and you have a pretty sizable market for the fallen superstar.

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While the question of whether or not a player with Howard’s history is worth pursuing — let alone signing to a max deal — is one that each team will have to evaluate, the need for a solid post player is pertinent enough around the league that the befallen center will still be in high demand.