Dwight Howard is set to ink a non-guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, and reportedly sold himself on the franchise as someone who had hit “rock bottom.”
Howard, 33, also shed 25 pounds and believes his surgically-repaired back is healthy.
The eight-time NBA All-Star is willing to accept a lesser role with the Purple and Gold, and is said to have looked “amazing” in his workout for the team.
Per The Athletic:
Howard reached an agreement on a contract buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and will sign a one-year, non-guaranteed $2.6 million deal with the Lakers once he clears waivers, league sources told The Athletic.
“Dwight didn’t need to be here the day before the actual workout,” one source said, “but he was.”
When Thursday arrived, Howard had a workout in which the Lakers believed he looked healthy and fit. “Amazing,” said a source present in the gym.
Word traveled around the roster, and Davis, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee spent time with Howard inside the team’s facility Thursday. They wanted to know whether they could trust Howard, whether Howard’s mindset would fit this team.
League sources said Howard had a convincing and emotional meeting with the players and Lakers officials, explaining how he had reached rock bottom a season ago and needed to find a new mindset in his life. On and off the floor. He was not the teammate he needed to be in playing for three teams in the past three years. He did not take the game seriously enough, he did not understand what was needed to turn the corner.
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