As is the case with every NBA rumor that floats around in March, take this one with a grain of salt. That said, it seems Houston Rockets big man Dwight Howard is pretty salty about his current situation in the state where everything’s bigger and could be setting his sights on the “Big Apple” instead.
In an article discussing the New York Knicks’ potential free agent targets, ESPN’s Ian Begley wrote that Howard could be a potential target.
“One name to keep in mind this summer is Dwight Howard,” Begley wrote. “Some of Howard’s friends have let it be known recently that the center would be interested in coming to New York as a free agent if he opts out of his current contract, league sources say. Whether Jackson and the Knicks would be interested in a player like Howard is another question entirely.”
The Knicks currently sit roughly $4 million over the NBA’s $74 million salary cap, but they have approximately $11.4 million coming off the books this offseason. Combined with the projected cap raise to $89 million next season, that gives New York anywhere from $11-26 million to spend — more than enough room to add a max-level contract to the books.
Of course, that number doesn’t include cap holds for any potential draft picks New York might acquire (it currently has none), and adding just one player to the roster would leave it with just nine. Needless to say, the Knicks would have a lot more work to do than just signing Howard this summer should they even decide to pursue him in the first place.
Of course, adding Howard would be anything but salty. It could be just the right flavor needed to spice things up.
Thumbnail photo via Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports Images
H/t to HoopsHype
