UPDATED ON FRIDAY, JULY 5 at 7:30 p.m.
LOS ANGELES — Welcome to the Dwightline, our up-to-the-minute tracker of the saga that started to unfold at 9 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 30.
We will be updating this to include all the rumors, reports and actual news surrounding Dwight Howard’s free agency, and for all those directly involved in the proceedings, we can only hope it ends sooner rather than later.
A team can agree in principle to a deal with Howard from the moment free agency begins on Sunday night, but the contract cannot be signed until July 10 at the earliest.
(This story will be updated continually, with the newest information at the top of the story).
Friday, July 5: Decision Day, really and truly!
7:30 p.m. PT: The Lakers release a statement announcing that Howard will not return to the team. That means the initial reports are true and that he will head to Houston, even after he flew back to Los Angeles and was reportedly 50-50 about returning to the Lakers.
4:30 p.m. PT: The Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan reports that Dwight Howard is currently flying from Colorado to Los Angeles to speak with LA Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.
3:45 p.m. PT: Multiple reports indicate that the Lakers have not been informed of Howard's decision, contrary to a report from ESPN’s Chris Broussard, which stated that they had.
3:34 p.m. PT: Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweets that the deal is not yet done, but that he is "cautiously optimistic." Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle comments that Morey, a pessimist, using such terms is something of a good sign for the Rockets.
For @dmorey "excited and cautiously optimistic" is a huge leap. He always worries.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 5, 2013
3:10 p.m. PT: Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, says the deal is not complete. However, Yahoo! also reports that multiple sources have confirmed that Howard will go to Houston and that the parties are in the process of going over the contract.
3 p.m. PT: USA Today's Sam Amick reports that Howard has agreed to sign with Houston.
Yahoo! Sports breaks the news that, after dumping Richard Jefferson's and Andris Biedrins’ salaries in a trade with Utah, the Warriors have agreed in principle with Andre Iguodala on a four-year, $48 million deal. Signing Iguodala has, according to Yahoo! Sports, pulled the Warriors out of the Howard sweepstakes, leaving just the Lakers and Rockets as frontrunners.
USA Today is reporting that Howard's suitors have been narrowed to the Warriors, Rockets and Lakers. Obviously the Hawks and Mavericks are still on the list, but the report says that there are "strong signs" that both teams are out of the running. It also states that the Warriors have been given indications within the past day that the Rockets are the strongest contender.
2:10 p.m. PT: ESPN is reporting that the Mavericks have been notified that Howard has decided he will not be playing in Dallas next season.
11:25 a.m. PT: The OC Register's Janis Carr pulls back on a tweet sent about an hour earlier, which stated that Howard had made his decision and would tweet it over the weekend. Instead, Carr tweets, there is "no need to sit on Twitter this weekend." So much for even a loose timeframe.
The earlier tweet:
Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons, a Rockets fan, records a video with his own impassioned plea for Howard to come to Houston, saying that the next thing the team needs in its quest for a championship is an elite center.
Chatter about a proposed sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors has evolved into multiple reports that Golden State will try to trade away its expiring deals: Andrew Bogut’s $14 million, Jefferson’s $11 million and Biedrins’s $9 million. Peter Vescey reported late Thursday night that the Warriors believe they have found destinations for the deals if the Lakers were to refuse to engage in sign-and-trade discussions, which is a very real concern. However, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that a sign-and-trade that included Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson being sent to Los Angeles would "appease" the Lakers.
ESPN.com also reports that Houston has prepared sign-and-trade proposals and that they would prefer such a scenario so as to be able to go out and get a third superstar to pair with Howard and James Harden.
ESPN.com is also reporting that sources have indicated that the Lakers may have fallen as far as fourth in Howard’s list of preferred teams.
1:15 p.m. PT: Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Golden State has reached a deal with Utah on a trade to unload salary. The deal sends Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson to the Jazz, and the Warriors, with the salary they saved, have signed Andre Iguodala to a four-year, $48 million deal, according to the report. Doing so will likely restrict the Warriors in their abilities to sign Howard and makes a sign-and-trade more necessary/likely if Howard were to choose Golden State.
USA Today is reporting that Howard's suitors have been narrowed to the Warriors, Rockets and Lakers. Obviously the Hawks and Mavericks are still on the list, but the report says that there are "strong signs" that both teams are out of the running. It also states that the Warriors have been given indications within the past day that the Rockets are the strongest contender.
Thursday, July 4
6:45 p.m. PT: Multiple reports surface that the Warriors are attempting to clear cap space by proposing deals of their expiring contract to teams with room. Golden State's roster boasts three large expiring deals. If Howard were to choose the Warriors, they would need to shed some financial commitments in order to sign him, especially if the Lakers were to be unwilling to complete a sign-and-trade.
8:45 a.m. PT: While Howard makes his decision in Aspen, Colo., Phil Jackson – who was not at the Lakers' meeting with Howard on Tuesday – tweets to clarify his involvement with the team's recruiting process.
Error in reporting about my involvement with @DwightHoward meeting. I was amenable to talking with DH, but the meet never came to play.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) July 4, 2013
Also, a report by Yahoo! says Kobe Bryant challenged Howard during the Lakers' meeting with the free-agent center on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Wednesday, July 3
10:45 a.m. PT: CBSSports.com is reporting that the Rockets are acting on Howard's reported demand that they acquire another superstar to pair with him and Harden. According to the report, Houston is now pursuing the Hawks' Josh Smith, who played AAU ball with Howard in Atlanta.
7:45 a.m. PT: According to reports, Dwight Howard plans to make his decision on Friday. The Rockets, Hawks, Warriors, Mavericks and Lakers have all made their pitches to the big man.
Howard is reportedly leaving California for a few days to mull over his options.
The Lakers can offer Howard a five-year, $118 million deal, whereas other teams can offer only four years and $88 million.
Tuesday, July 2
According to multiple reports, Mike D’Antoni, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant met separately with Howard on Tuesday to discuss the Lakers’ issues in 2012-13.
5:01 p.m. PT: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak releases a statement following the meeting with Howard. It reads:
"Jim Buss, Mike D'Antoni, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Harris and I, along with representatives from our partners at Time Warner Cable SportsNet and AEG, met this afternoon for approximately two hours with Dwight Howard and his representatives Dan Fegan and Happy Walter. At the meeting, we told him how important he is to the Lakers team, franchise, fans and community, and why we feel this is the best place for him to continue his career. We are hopeful that Dwight decides to remain a Laker.”
1 p.m. PT: In a video released Tuesday by Relativity Sports, Howard and John Wall talk with Yi Jianlian, a former Buck, Net and Wizard, in a clip titled "NBA Superstars Speak Mandarin."
The video is ostensibly a promo for the Lakers-Wizards game in China, and according to a translation of the dialogue, Howard says: "We will see you in China." Before anyone reads too much into this, remember that (a) the video is a promo, (b) no translation, especially from Mandarin, is exact and (c) Howard could simply be touting the party line for promotional purposes.
Howard met with the Mavericks first, and then the Lakers.
Jeanie Buss did not attend the Howard meeting — by her own choice, according to an ESPNLosAngeles.com report — but she tweeted at the center on Tuesday morning.
@DwightHoward Lakers offer 1) best opportunities for your playing & post-playing career 2) have BEST fans 3) I'm here for you #STAYD12
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) July 2, 2013
More on Howard from Tuesday:
FS SW: Report: Mavs rookie to lead Howard-to-Dallas campaign
FS SW: Dez Bryant recruiting Howard to Dallas?
Monday, July 1
6:30 p.m. PT: ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin reports that the Rockets discussed a television opportunity with Howard during their presentation. Earlier Monday, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi had reported that Time Warner has had preliminary discussions with Howard about having his own show on the network if he were to return to the Lakers.
Jack Nicholson calls Howard to pitch him to stay with the Lakers, according to ESPN.com's J.A. Adande. Nicholson is a longtime Lakers season ticket holder and something of a celebrity face of the team.
Dwight Howard and the Warriors' Stephen Curry are spotted together working out at UCLA.
A source close to Chandler Parsons says that after the Rockets' Sunday night meeting with Howard, Parsons continues to believe that Houston is Howard's first choice.
Howard will meet with the Warriors and Hawks, the two of his four non-Lakers suitors who have slimmer chances at acquiring him. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Warriors owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers and coach Mark Jackson will comprise the party that meets with Howard.
In the early hours of July 1, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweets about the team's meeting with Howard, writing that the meeting was great and that Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler made it obvious that Howard and James Harden “could be the next gr8 big/wing combo.”
7:45 a.m. PT: The Rockets delegation to meet with Howard includes owner Les Alexander, general manager Daryl Morey, coach Kevin McHale, current Rockets James Harden and Parsons and retired Rockets (and NBA Hall of Famers) Olajuwon and Drexler, according to multiple reports. Yao Ming Skyped into the meeting, as well, which took place soon after the 9:01 p.m. PT (12:01 a.m. ET) start to free agency.
The Lakers do get the first word, apparently, as multiple reports are stating that Kupchak spoke with Howard once on Saturday and again briefly at the start of free agency before his meeting with the Rockets.
The final chip falls for the Rockets when they trade Thomas Robinson to Portland, according to a Yahoo! Sports report on Sunday evening. The trade is the final step in clearing the cap space necessary to sign Howard. Earlier in the day, the Rockets waived two role players, Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks, to begin to clear said cap space.
It is revealed that the Lakers will be the final team with whom Howard will meet. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash will be part of the Lakers' delegation to pitch Howard and that the meeting will take place on Tuesday.
Friday, June 28
ESPN reports that the Rockets will be the first team to meet with Howard and that they will do so in Los Angeles as soon as free agency begins on Sunday night.
The Lakers post a photo on social media of the façade of the Beverly Hills Hotel, which appears to be covered in a giant Howard jersey. A phone call to the hotel reveals that the image is, in fact, photoshopped.
Thursday, June 27
ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that the Mavericks are the frontrunner for Howard’s affections and that Howard is unlikely to return to Los Angeles. From the Lakers' perspective, it is the most pessimistic report of the weeks leading up to free agency.
Wednesday, June 26
The Lakers begin a billboard campaign to keep Howard in Los Angeles, with two giant "Stay" billboards, one at the Staples Center and one on Hollywood Blvd.
