National Basketball Association

Lakers: Howard not coming back

Published Jul. 5, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The rollercoaster ride that has been Dwight Howard's decision appears to finally have some certainty.

Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said Friday night that Howard will not be returning to the Lakers.

"We have been informed of Dwight's decision to not return to the Lakers," Kupchak said in a statement released by the team. "Naturally we're disappointed. However, we will now move forward in a different direction with the future of the franchise and, as always, will do our best to build the best team possible, one our great lakers fans will be proud to support. To Dwight, we thank him for his time and consideration, and for his efforts with us last season. We wish him the best of luck on the remainder of his NBA career."

With the Lakers out of the way, Howard appears to be headed to the Houston Rockets. Reports say Howard has confirmed the move and Howard's Twitter account shows him wearing a Rockets jersey.