One of the most bizarre free agency stories happened on Friday. Dwight Howard was reported to have signed a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers as he tweeted out a message announcing his return. That tweet was promptly deleted and a little while later, the center had signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a minimum contract.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, however, the Lakers are “adamant” that they never gave Howard a formal offer and instead gave him a “deal concept” for a potential agreement. Howard, seemingly, thought that agreeing to that deal concept meant a formal agreement, prompting his tweet. Lakers management made him delete it, citing the need to get ownership to buy off the decision. In the hour-long process of waiting for the team to contact him, Howard was courted by the 76ers and they eventually came to an agreement.
Since then, the Lakers have signed Montrezl Harrell which may be evidence that they were waiting on his decision before giving a formal offer to Howard. The team also had reported interest in Marc Gasol but that is likely to have fallen through now. For now, it appears as though the team will go into the season with a frontcourt of Harrell, Anthony Davis, and JaVale McGee barring a trade for the three-time champion.
