Dwight Howard has had a Hall of Fame-caliber career. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star, won three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, and was named to the All-NBA First-Team five times. But in 2018-19, his career appeared to wind down when he signed a two-year deal with the Washington Wizards.
At the time, the signing was well-received. The Wizards featured one of the more dynamic backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Adding an aging Howard to the mix had pundits excited about the Wizards’ chances.
However, Howard lasted just nine games before a back injury led to him having surgery. He missed the remainder of the season. The Wizards faltered as Wall got shut down for the season, leading to a disappointing 32-50 record.
Howard recently appeared on Matt Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion. He spoke on various items, including the end of his time with the Wizards. Howard thought the Wizards were in line to win an NBA championship going into 2019-20.
“I had talked to the owner of the [Wizards] and the GM, and I said, ‘If you allow me to get healthy, I’m gonna come back, I’m gonna lose 30 pounds, and we going to win the championship. They traded me to the Grizzlies,” Howard said.
Howard added the Grizzlies never made contact with him following the trade. That forced him to contact the Grizzlies owner. However, the Grizzlies told him there was no space on the roster. Ultimately, Memphis waived Howard.
He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers following a workout. He claims he lost 30 pounds in 30 days.
Howard joined the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers won the NBA championship during the 2019-20, inside the Bubble in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reality is the Wizards weren’t close to competing by 2019-20
Dwight Howard provided a compelling story. There are a lot of facts in his comments. When he had that conversation with the Wizards owner, and GM makes a big difference in whether Howard exaggerated or was spitting pure facts.
If the conversation happened right after Howard learned he needed surgery, then it’s understandable. He did leave Washington to have the surgery in California and rehabbed before a setback ultimately forced the Wizards to shut him down for the season. Wall and Beal were a force together, and a returning Howard could have been that missing piece to give Washington a true Big 3.
Unfortunately, by the end of the 2018-19 season, it was clear the Wizards would not be competing for an NBA championship the following season. The biggest reason was Wall’s health. Wall ruptured his Achilles during the 2018-19 season. The diagnosis was clear that Wall would miss a significant time going into the next season.
Because of Wall’s supermax contract ($170M, four years), the Wizards had no wiggle room to build a competitive roster around an injured Wall taking up a significant amount of the salary cap.
Wall’s injury forced the team to regroup. That included the Wizards’ owner Ted Leonsis firing longtime GM Ernie Grunfeld at the end of the 2018-19 season. Tommy Sheppard took over as the GM. The Wizards had too much transitioning going because of Wall’s injury that not even those within the organization felt the Wizards had much of a chance to win a championship.
It all worked out for Howard. He won his first NBA championship in an integral role next to James and Davis. A healthy Howard wouldn’t have made a difference for Washington. The Grizzlies were slightly better, but Ja Morant was a rookie. It’s hard to believe Howard’s presence wouldn’t have resulted in a title in Memphis either.
Getting traded by the Wizards and cut by the Grizzlies was a blessing in disguise for Dwight Howard. Without the circumstances that led to him landing with the Lakers, he may not have won an NBA championship ring.
