Lakers set to guarantee Dwight Howard contract for remainder of season

The Los Angeles Lakers will reportedly guarantee veteran center Dwight Howard’s $2.56 million contract for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers have the option to waive Howard prior to the 5 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday and move on from his contract, but they will keep him in the fold.

The 34-year-old big man has been a key bench contributor across 36 appearances for the Lakers this campaign with 7.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game.

Howard was a superstar for a large part of his career, as the Orlando Magic took him No. 1 overall out of high school in the 2004 NBA draft.

He became an eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Although he averaged a double-double in points and rebounds for 14 straight seasons from 2004-05 through 2017-18, he hasn’t been anywhere near as dominant in recent years.

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Howard entered last offseason with a great deal of insecurity since he missed all but nine matches in 2018-19 as a member of the Washington Wizards because of a back injury. As a result, he was willing to settle for a prove-it deal.

The five-time NBA rebounding champion has proved his worth in L.A. this season, as he and JaVale McGee have combined to give the Lakers quality minutes at center in the wake of DeMarcus Cousins’ offseason ACL tear.

McGee is technically the starter, but he averages less minutes (16.6 per game) than Howard (19.5). When combining their stats, Howard and McGee have put up 14.0 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per contest for a Lakers team that is first in the Western Conference at 29-7.

The biggest worry regarding Howard was that he would be a distraction since he wasn’t used to coming off the bench, but that hasn’t been the case.

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