Dwight

Howard

Per Charania’s report, it appears the Warriors will opt to leave a roster spot open and could end up making a move during camp or even during the regular season. Howard went through a two-day interview process with the Warriors that included workouts. He’ll likely be looking to get back into the league for a different team now that the Warriors seem to be off the table. Regardless of where he ends up, he probably won’t find a situation where he’ll contribute in fantasy.

The Warriors’ vets have reportedly approved the team adding Howard, and he’s now heading to LA to work out with Draymond Green and Chris Paul. It seems likely that Howard ends up with the Warriors within the next few days, but even if he adds some depth down low, the odds of him playing a large enough role to impact fantasy hoops are slim to none.

Shams reports that the Dubs are interested in signing a veteran big man, and Howard could be their man. He’s been playing with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan over the last year, but he said recently that he’s “not retired from the NBA yet.” Even if the Warriors sign him, Howard isn’t expected to play a big role for the team, and he won’t be worth rostering in fantasy hoops.

Could Superman don his cape for one last ride? In a recent interview Dwight Howard said, “I’m not retired from the NBA just yet” and added that he “would love to help the Sacramento Kings contend for a title”. Howard, whose career accomplishments include eight All-NBA selections, five All-Defense selections and three DPOY awards, last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season as a member of the Lakers. Dwight won a ring with the Lakers in the 2019-20 bubble as well. This past year Howard has been playing professionally in Taiwan for the Taoyuan Leopards.

“They need a big. I know they have Kevon Looney, and I know they have the young boy Wiseman, but I’m Dwight Howard.” It doesn’t seem like this would be a move that would impact any fantasy leagues directly. Howard would practically be an assistant coach in a similar role to Udonis Haslem. It could be encouraging for managers that have Wiseman in dynasty leagues, but Howard won’t be impacting Golden State’s rotation if he were to join them.

With recent news that Robert Williams will be forced to miss time due to surgery, Boston is in the market for some frontcourt depth. Both Howard and LMA could be viable fill-ins for the short-term alongside Al Horford and Grant Williams, but neither would be expected to contribute significantly for fantasy hoops.

Howard, who’s currently a free agent, was a surprise participant at WWE tryouts in Nashville on Thursday, and he even cut a promo while he was there. Howard certainly has the larger-than-life personality to become a professional wrestler, so we could be watching him perform sharpshooters and stunners rather than slam dunks next season.

Howard is currently without a team, and Brooklyn loves to bring in veterans well past their prime, so the move makes sense for both sides. Even if he lands with the Nets, Howard won’t be a fantasy factor in 2022-23.

Howard’s 2021-22 season comes to an end one game early, and he certainly had his moments during his third stint with the Lakers. He won’t be worth drafting in 2022-23, but the potential is there for Howard to be a decent waiver wire addition once his role is clearly defined. Wenyen Gabriel will start at center in Sunday’s regular-season finale.

With their play-in hopes out the window, we should see the same starting lineup that we saw against the Warriors. It wouldn’t be shocking if we didn’t see any of these guys play against the Nuggets on Sunday. The team most upset about them all being out is the Thunder, who now have a chance to win. Dwight Howard, Stanley Johnson, and Talen Horton-Tucker should start again in the frontcourt with Wenyen Gabriel backing them up.