Los Angeles Lakers: Grading first 4 signings of 2021 NBA Free Agency
By Dalton Sell
Grades for Dwight Howard’s free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers will bring Dwight Howard aboard for a third time after inking him to a minimum deal in free agency.
Howard most recently helped the Lakers win the 2020 NBA Championship in the bubble, and after spending the following season with the Philadelphia 76ers, he would hit the market once again. There were consistent rumblings that Howard might be eyeing a return to the Lakers as he had carved out such a meaningful role and ultimately redeemed himself following the mishap that was his first stint with the team during the 2012-13 season. Ultimately, it did not take him long to sign with the Lakers on a minimum deal.
With the Andre Drummond experiment at the center position not exactly panning out how many hoped after bringing him aboard last season and Marc Gasol showing signs of mighty regression, Howard is a low-risk move for the Lakers. Whether or not he can claim a starting spot remains to be seen, but as evidenced by his latest go-round with the team, he will give them a quality backup big man off the bench that can protect the rim and throw down the occasional alley-oop dunk. With Harrell gone, the Lakers needed to add size in the frontcourt, and Howard fits the bill.
The Lakers ultimately got a cheap veteran with some familiarity that can help them from the jump next season. While he will not help alleviate the team’s spacing issues, he can help them in other ways, as his 2020 championship ring suggests. So this move will be far more than just a sentimental reunion for Howard and the Lakers.