Fred Kerber from the New York Post has posted a very interesting story regarding the Nets pursuit of Dwight Howard. Essentially, what he has done is officially brought the Dwightmare back to Brooklyn.
According to league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Orlando brass got fed up with Howard’s yes-no-maybe posturing and threatened to trade him to the Lakers, not his desired location, if he did not sign an agreement to waive the opt-out clause for the final season of his contract. Howard eventually signed the papers, but only after he was told “he would be a Laker by the end of the day,” according to one source.
While both sides proclaimed loyalty as a factor in Howard’s decision to stay in Orlando, the contentious nature of the process gives the Nets ample hope they still may open in Brooklyn next season with Howard on their side.
“[The Magic] do not want to go through it all again,” said one source who claimed Orlando wants a commitment from Howard on an extension before training camp to avoid his bolting as a free agent in 2013. “[The Magic] are determined to avoid another year of that.”
Kerber reports that the proposed deal in place was Lopez, Brooks, Okur and two firsts for Howard and that “New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey,” was his only destination.
Kerber also drops some other nuggets of Dwightmare gold, hinting at the opt-in to Orlando could be to wind up in Brooklyn and make the most money. If you’d like to bring back the headache, I definitely recommend reading the entire article.
Welcome back to the circus.
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On an unrelated note, SI’s Chris Mannix has posted a great column on our favorite former D-League All-Star Gerald Green.
