Should The New York Knicks Consider Signing Dwight Howard?
The New York Knicks didn’t waste anytime getting involved with offseason moves by acquiring Derrick Rose. But now they have a void to address in the frontcourt. Could Dwight Howard be a potential target in free agency?
The New York Knicks made arguably the biggest splash in the early stages of the offseason by trading Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round draft pick.
The trade helps give them some much needed help at the point guard slot, a position they’ve been struggling with for many years. With the loss of Lopez, it opens up a hole in the frontcourt that they’ll need to address next this summer.
Dwight Howard is an unrestricted free agent after opting out of his player option with the Houston Rockets and deciding to leave $23 million on the table. With that being said, should the Knicks consider going after the eight-time All-Star in free agency?
ESPN’s Ian Begley reported that the Knicks are one of the several teams that Howard would be interested in signing with sometime in July. Begley writes:
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"“Howard told friends earlier in the season that he was interested in playing for the Knicks; that interest remains as Howard approaches free agency.”"
Going after Howard may not be as bad of an idea as some make it out to be.
Yes, Howard has had his share of drama over his career and putting him in a market like New York may not work out, but there’s also that chance that he views New York as a real opportunity for him to contend for a title.
There were plenty of incidents between Howard and superstar shooting guard James Harden in Houston that indicated that relationship didn’t benefit the organization as a whole. If it did, Howard would most likely not be walking away from $23 million.
Putting Howard next to Kristaps Porzingis could work because of Porzingis’ ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. Then again, Porzingis showed the ability to operate next to a center who didn’t prefer to operate too far from the basket this season in Robin Lopez.
Howard can’t shoot the 15-footer quite like Lopez does, but he can finish around the rim and rebound much more effectively.
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Howard would also bring a defensive presence in the paint that Lopez couldn’t compare to.
The acquisition of Rose is a big move by the Knicks, but once you break down his strengths and weaknesses, Rose struggled to keep quick guards in front of him for the majority of last season. With Howard anchoring the defense, it gives the Knicks two shot-blockers, along with Porzingis.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek would have plenty of pick-and-roll sets between Rose and Howard or Porzingis that could make the Knicks offense extremely dynamic.
And even though Howard has had his share of injuries over his career, he played 71 games last season, averaged a double-double of 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds, and still proved that he can be one of the most mobile centers in the league.
A change of scenery would be good for the 7-footer out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Although he didn’t do well during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, it was more of because who was on that team rather than the pressure that came with playing in a huge market.
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New York would give him a chance to prove why he can still be one of the most dominant centers in the league on top of helping the Knicks fill a huge void in the backcourt.