Why trade for Dwight Howard when you can just sign him in the offseason?
That’s a question many teams asked themselves without finding an answer.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Dwight Howard will stay with the Houston Rockets, league source tells @TheVertical. No trade.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 18, 2016
The Rockets tried to move Howard, but they couldn’t find anyone offering enough.
Teams looking for a rental largely didn’t need a center. Teams Howard wanted to join, which would seemingly come with a pledge to re-sign, weren’t interested enough.
So, Houston is stuck with Howard – which isn’t so bad. The Rockets are just a half game from playoff position, and Howard can help them reach the postseason. It’s not the championship-chasing goals they had to begin the season, but plenty of teams would be happy with just a playoff appearance.
The problem for Houston is what comes next, when Howard opts out to become a free agent this summer
How much do the Rockets want to pay Howard through his 30s? How much does any team, for that matter? Does Howard want to stay in Houston with James Harden?
These are hard questions for everyone involved, and Houston is left with the toughest of them.