Free agent Dwight Howard will sign a deal with the Washington Wizards once the NBA’s moratorium period ends, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The 32-year-old has finalized his buyout with Brooklyn and will sign for the tax MLE, which is worth roughly $5.3 million.
Dwight Howard has finalized a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets and will sign a 1-year deal for the tax MLE with the Washington Wizards once he clears waivers, league sources tell The Athletic.
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 3, 2018
The Hornets traded Howard to Brooklyn in June, with buyout talks immediately taking place to allow Howard to enter free agency. Howard fills a glaring hole at the starting center position for Washington, who recently traded center Marcin Gortat to the Clippers for Austin Rivers.
Howard, who’s entering his 15th NBA season, remains an above-average starting player at the center position. He averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 81 games with Charlotte last year, seeing an average of 30.4 minutes per contest.
Howard has been the center of unwanted attention throughout the league in recent seasons, with the former No. 1 overall pick being involved in multiple locker room issues internally. Although he’s a risk off the court, Howard remains a talented player on the hardwood and joins his sixth team since being drafted by Orlando in 2004.
The Wizards also signed free agent forward Jeff Green to a deal on Tuesday after losing Mike Scott to the Los Angeles Clippers.
