Dwight Howard And Houston Rockets Want To Make It Work
By Yoni Pollak
The Houston Rockets were shopping Dwight Howard at the trade deadline. There’s no denying that.
There’s also no denying that Howard wants to make it work with the Rockets. He loves the city, the fans and the organization.
Right before the deadline, a report surfaced that Dwight Howard and James Harden wanted each other traded after the playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2014. Well, the 2016 deadline has passed and both are still teammates.
Although not best friends by any stretch, Howard and Harden appear to be on good terms after smoothing things out before the All-Star break. Here’s what Howard told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
"“People will say what they want to say. There’s no need for me and him to worry about that,” Howard said. “Our job is to grow and get better as a team and get better as individuals. I think me and James had a really good talk before the break. We’re more on the same page than we’ve ever been. I’m always going to have his back; pretty sure he’s always going to have my back.“The biggest thing, which is always true in any situation, you always have to put your ego to the side and focus on what’s best for the team. When things don’t go well, it’s easy to point to the two guys that are leaders of the team. That’s understandable. We have to take the good with the bad. We have to come together to lead this team.”"
Since the deadline, a few different articles came out on Howard’s relationship with the Rockets. Sam Amick of USA Today wrote about how Howard and the Rockets aren’t ready for divorce. We know there’s a good chance Howard opts out of his contract at the end of this season, but it’s not like he wants out of Houston.
"“I chose to go to Houston, so why would I just say, ‘I’m not happy’ and leave?” Howard, told USA TODAY Sports in mid-December. “I chose this place, you know what I’m saying? And I want to make this thing work here.“Obviously we haven’t been playing great basketball, and personally for myself my numbers don’t seem like I’ve been playing great, but the only thing on my mind is trying to grow as a man and grow as a teammate and a leader. All the BS that’s around, sometimes it is frustrating to hear it, because I know who I am as a man and I know what I’m trying to do for this city.”"
With a player option this summer, Howard would be wise to opt out and test the market. The 30-year old should be able to take advantage of a rising cap this offseason and desperate teams may be willing to dish out the dollars for the aging center. Howard isn’t the dominant force he used to be, but is still a top five center in the NBA.
More from Houston Rockets
- Houston Rockets and Texans: Two different coaches with one glaring similarity
- Houston Rockets: Dig in, make threes, win series
- Houston Rockets: The time to make a statement is now
- Houston Rockets: Rest Russell Westbrook for remainder of the OKC series
- Houston Rockets: G2: What has put the team in driver’s seat against OKC
The Rockets and Dwight Howard will act like everything is A-okay for the remainder of the season. If the Rockets do make the postseason, Howard will likely be a big reason for the push and could help the Rockets win a series or two. He has dominated the postseason in back-to-back years for the Rockets, and another strong playoffs performance could earn him a few extra dollars this offseason.
It’s not a hundred percent that the Rockets and Howard are done this offseason. The Rockets will chase Kevin Durant this offseason and prefer to go with a big-three of Harden, Durant and Howard. However, for that to work Howard would likely need to take a bit of a pay-cut. Will he be willing to give the city a discount after being dangled in trade talks?
Time will tell…
Stick with us here at House of Houston for all your Rockets coverage.
Next: What Did Dwight Ever Do?!?