Report: Dwight Howard signs with 76ers

Dwight Howard
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 22: Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 22, 2020 in New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

In a weird sequence of events early on in free agency on Friday night, Dwight Howard was once reported to be re-signing with the Lakers only to have Shams Charania and The Athletic report that he will instead be going to Philadelphia to play for Daryl Morey, Doc Rivers, and the 76ers.

The initially reported deal with the Lakers started off with some drama on Twitter. Shams Charania tweeted out the deal, with Dwight Howard tweeting out right at the same time that he was returning. Both deleted their tweets right after, only for Charania to tweet the following.

He will now go to the 76ers to be a backup center to Joel Embiid, and to replace a role in their frontcourt that was previously occupied by Al Horford. Horford was just recently traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Danny Green. The 76ers sent a first-rounder and a second-rounder to the Thunder to get out from underneath Horford’s large contract.

In August 2019, Dwight Howard signed to the Lakers once he was bought out from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers were in desperate need of a backup center to compliment JaVale McGee, as DeMarcus Cousins had just tore his ACL. The Lakers were choosing in between him and Joakim Noah, and judging from Noah’s brief time with the Los Angeles Clippers in the Orlando bubble, the Lakers made the right choice.

The mishaps with the initial tweets will leave a sour taste in the mouth of Lakers fans, as it seemed momentarily that Dwight Howard would be continuing his redemption tour in Los Angeles after winning his lone championship with a franchise that he had infamously spurned only seven years prior. Instead, he will be returning to the Eastern Conference to try and compete for a title there.

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