Houston Rockets to Offer Dwight Howard $88 Million Over 4 Years After Trading Thomas Robinson to Portland
By Jason McIntyre
According to Woj, the Rockets can offer Howard a max deal because they have agreed to send Thomas Robinson to Portland (LaMarcus Aldridge approves!) for the rights to two international players you’ve never heard of and two second round picks.
Robinson, a very good college player who still might have a bright future as a pro, was traded twice during his ugly rookie year.
Back to Howard. Less than 90 minutes before free agency begins, the Rockets appear to be the frontrunners for the best center in the NBA.* The Lakers can still offer him considerably more money than anyone else, but it doesn’t appear Howard wants to return to the franchise.
The Warriors are ready to put a full-court press on Howard as well, and the Mavericks want to make a run at him, but their roster is complete garbage, so why would he go there?
How scary is the prospect of Howard on the Rockets?
C – Howard
PF – Asik (3rd in the NBA in rebounding)
SF – Parsons (38 percent on 3-pointers)
SG – Harden (25.9 ppg, 5th in the NBA)
PG – Lin (6.1 apg)
Be ready to be terrified, NBA: Lin and Howard on the pick and roll, and you can’t leave Parsons or Harden to help, because they’ll destroy you from deep.
Depth will be a concern (they waived Carlos Delfino this weekend), but on paper, they’ll be right there with the Clippers and Thunder in the loaded West. [The East sucks.] The Spurs will be good as usual, the Warriors are on the rise, and the Pelicans are a team to watch.
* Sure, he hasn’t played like it the last two years, but come on, folks.