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Washington Wizards Free Agency 2016: The Case For Dwight Howard To Join Washington

By Ben Mehic

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The Washington Wizards don’t have much of a chance to land any top free agent, so gambling on Dwight Howard might be their only hope

John Wall has played in the NBA for six years. The former first overall pick has made the NBA All-Star team three years in a row, led the Washington Wizards to multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals and continues to set a tremendous example off the court too. And he’s never had an All-Star teammate.

Wall, who wasted numerous seasons of his career as Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards went through a rebuilding process, spent time on the court with the likes of Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Jordan Crawford. What does he have to show for it, exactly?

Wall has been extremely patient with the Wizards.

When they tanked, Washington failed to execute during the NBA Draft, passing on Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson for the often laughed about Jan Vesely.

Years of visiting the NBA Lottery didn’t result in much.

The team’s second most valued player, Bradley Beal, is expecting to receive a max contract even though he’s never been a consistent contributor.

At this point, it’s honestly surprising Wall hasn’t asked for a trade.

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Grunfeld and the Wizards have struck out in the draft and passed on free agency completely by acquiring veterans to fill the cap space.

Relative to other teams, the Wizards haven’t had much of an improvement since they won the lottery in 2010.

They’ve been completely reliant on Wall, whose contract is ending in two seasons.

Washington sold the fans and Wall on the idea of finally getting a star in 2016.

They sold their fans the Kevin Durant dream – a dream that almost immediately died after the NBA Playoffs were over.

The Wizards, who’ve been planning to make a run at Durant for years, couldn’t even land a meeting with the hometown hero.

Now they’re kind of stuck.

The Wizards viewed Durant as their primary target, and while other names have been floated around, it’s pretty clear that a legitimate plan B didn’t exist.

Washington is expected to compete against the rest of the league for top free agents, and given their track record, it’s tough to say they’ll be in the lead for any of them.

Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside and DeMar DeRozan are considered the best remaining free agents once the Durant domino falls. All three players could end up returning to their respective teams.

Assuming that Horford, Whiteside and DeRozan re-sign, where will the Washington Wizards go?

Will they throw a boatload of money at Nicolas Batum, who’s coming off a productive season with the Charlotte Hornets but was incredibly disappointing two seasons ago?

Will they decide to make Chandler Parsons their key target, whose career has been riddled by injuries?

Or, will they take an even bigger gamble on Dwight Howard, who’s perhaps the most forgotten free agent on the market next to Al Jefferson?

Howard is undoubtedly one of the most hated athletes in the NBA.

The once-beloved star forced his way out of Orlando to the Los Angeles Lakers, and then left sunny California after a miserable season along side Kobe Bryant and a decaying Steve Nash.

“Superman” ended up with the Houston Rockets, hoping to win a championship with James Harden.

The pair led their team to the Western Conference Finals, but failed to make the NBA Playoffs just a season after making the significant run. The Rockets, along with the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, were one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA.

Howard is blamed for much of his team’s lack of success.

His diva-like attitude makes him tough to work with, he never reached his full potential and his inability to make free throws makes him almost unplayable in the fourth quarter.

For all of his faults, Howard is still one of the best centers in the NBA.

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It’s easy to forget how good Howard actually was in his prime.

He led the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, was a perennial candidate for the Most Valuable Player award and provided elite rim protection that was unrivaled at the time.

Following back surgery and the way the game has progressed, Howard will never replicate the dominance he had in Orlando.

But, that doesn’t mean he can’t play at an All-Star level when utilized correctly.

There’s reason to believe that Howard is going to be extremely motivated this off-season. He was completely disregarded by the Rockets after they dismissed his demand for wanting more touches inside.

Entering what could be the biggest payday in his life, Howard has seen it all.

He’s arguably went through more unique situations than any other player in the NBA.

He’s been the go-to franchise player who was loved by all, the underutilized and scrutinized former star and the forgotten about free agent.

In a new low-key environment, Howard could potentially revitalize his career. Who better to help him regain his All-Star form than a player who’s brought players back from the dead?

John Wall has turned careers around.

As Jared Dudley told us on our podcast, Wall makes players better and gets them paid. He’s done it with Trevor Ariza, Marcin Gortat, Bradley Beal, Martell Webster and even Rasual Butler.

He’s saved careers, and there’s no reason why Wall can’t do the same with Howard, who’s been an All-Star before and would certainly be the best teammate Wall’s had since joining the Washington Wizards.

The rest of the free agents might not even consider coming to Washington, even if the team expresses interest.

Again – realistically – how much do the premier free agents value the Washington Wizards? Will Horford, Whiteside or DeRozan even consider the district? Probably not.

The Wizards are going to have to weigh their options.

They can either overpay for a productive role player like Ryan Anderson or they can gamble on someone like Howard. After years of waiting on a star, it would be unfair to Wall if the team wasted a season and had just Anderson to show for it.

By signing Howard, the Wizards would have a greater opportunity to acquire more pieces.

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Marcin Gortat, who’s on a cheap long-term deal, could be moved to a team looking for a starting center.

In this case, that team would be the Houston Rockets.

Washington could work out a deal involving Gortat and Trevor Ariza, who thrived in Washington prior to signing with Houston in 2014.

The Rockets have thrown both Ariza and Patrick Beverley in trade discussions, according to recent reports.

The Wizards, in theory, could roll out an opening-day lineup featuring John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Markieff Morris and Dwight Howard.

Hypothetically, their bench would be led by Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre and possibly Tomas Satoransky.

The gamble might be worth taking. Howard’s name hasn’t been linked to any team yet.

Next: Dwight Howard to Washington? No Thanks

Teams with cap space have valued Whiteside, Horford and probably even Bismack Biyombo more than Howard. In the right situation, though, there’s no reason why Howard can’t have a bounce-back career with the best back court in the Eastern Conference.

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