Warriors, Rockets In The Hunt For Lakers’ Dwight Howard

The speculation continues to run rampant on the immediate future of superstar center Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Lakers appear to still be the favorites to land Howard in free agency in Las Vegas odds, the plot continues to thicken in terms of the center’s long-term future with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets considered contenders for his services in the frontcourt.

It’s no secret that Howard has a love-hate relationship with the Lakers. Howard has clearly fallen in love with the city of Los Angeles and seems to fit in the city of brights lights and glamour, but can’t seem to handle the pressure being on a team that is expected to win a championship or at least contend on an annual basis.

Once the Lakers had acquire Howard and Steve Nash through a series of trades last summer, the Lakers were instantly considered title contenders once again in Las Vegas odds. The major question was whether or not all the superstar talent in Los Angeles could coexist with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Nash and Howard. Unfortunately, the team fell apart due to injuries and an early coaching change that rocked the team to its core.

With the Lakers falling to live up to expectations and Howard taking a lot of criticism in his short time with the team, a few other teams have emerged as potential suitors for the soon-to-be free agent in July.

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are the two most recent teams to be added to the list along with the Dallas Mavericks. Although none of these teams can pay even close to what the Lakers will be offering, Howard is sour enough about his time in Los Angeles to make the decision to sign with one of the teams above for considerably less in an effort to win a championship.