Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard made a move that potentially tipped his hat on what he’ll do in free agency this offseason. Shams Charania of The Vertical is reporting that Howard is joining forces with Perry Rogers, who is the former agent of Shaquille O’Neal.
This is relevant for a few reasons.
One, Howard and O’Neal have been feuding with each other for a long time. Howard signing with O’Neal’s agent is a big story, especially since Howard went with Rogers at least partly based on Rogers’ advice.
“O’Neal, a longtime public nemesis of Howard’s, had extensive conversations with the Houston center and sold him on the marketing of “Superman” and the representation of Rogers, sources said. The potential of marketing Howard and O’Neal in advertisements together played a role, too, sources said.”
Two, Howard has a player option for the 2016-17 season, so if he wants to be a free agent he can take off without looking back. Changing agents sounds like a solid indicator that he may be leaning towards free agency.
According to HoopsHype, Howard will be owed more than $23 million of he opts back in with the Rockets. If he’s entering the free agent market, he’s looking for big money.
While’s Howard’s numbers are down from his career totals, he is still one of the game’s best centers, as he’s averaging nearly 14.7 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.