Eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight
Howard finally won his first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Now he'll try to help the Philadelphia 76ers win their first since 1983.
Howard's agent Charles Briscoe confirmed to ESPN that the center agreed to aone-year contract worth with the 76ers on Friday. ESPN reported that the deal is for the veterans minimum of R 40 064 258,00 ($2.6 million).
Philadelphia will be the 2004 No. 1 overall pick's eighth different team.(Howard has two stints with the Lakers).
However, Howard's path to Philadelphia wasn't a direct route. About an hourafter NBA free agency started at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, Howard tweeted that hewas staying with the Lakers.
"I'm staying right where I belong," Howard posted on his Twitter account."Laker nation I love y'all. Purple and gold never gets old."
Howard deleted that tweet shortly after it was posted.
The 34-year-old has averaged 16.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks pergame in his career. Last season with Los Angeles, Howard averaged 7.5 pointsand 7.3 rebounds in 69 games, making just two starts.
Howard's addition to the 76ers roster is part of an offseason reworking of theorganization that started with the hiring of Doc Rivers as head coach and thenDaryl Morey as president of basketball operations. Morey started to alter theroster to his liking when he traded Josh Richardson and the draft rights toTyler Bey to the Dallas Mavericks for sharpshooting Seth Curry, and he dealtbig man Al Horford and draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guardDanny Green.
Reuters