Dwight Howard has reached a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and intends to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Dwight Howard’s agent, Charles Briscoe of Briscoe Sports Group, has completed buyout with Grizzlies officials, and Howard will sign with the Lakers once he clears waivers, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 23, 2019
Once Howard clears waivers the Lakers will sign the eight-time All-Star centre to a non-guaranteed deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Dwight Howard's deal with the Lakers will be non-guaranteed, league source tells ESPN. Howard had several meetings with Lakers officials, and they'll give him a chance to show he's made changes in how he conducts himself. Lakers players were involved in process.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019
Wojnarowski also stated the the non-guaranteed deal is the Lakers approaching this signing "with caution", as Howard has been talking about making a change in his demeanor for years and now Los Angeles is giving him a chance to prove it with this low-risk, high-reward situation.
MORE: How does Howard fit with the Lakers?
This isn't Howard's first rodeo with the Lakers, joining the team via trade with high hopes in the offseason leading up to the 2012-13 season. Howard was an All-Star averaging 17.1 points and a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game, but the team chemistry never meshed and the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs in the first round.
That was Howard's only season in Los Angeles, signing with the Atlanta Hawks that very next offseason.
Most recently in the 2018-19 season, the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year suited up in nine games for the Washington Wizards before missing the remainder of the season with a back injury. Howard averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game with the Wizards.
With the ACL injury to Lakers' centre DeMarcus Cousins, Howard should provide Los Angeles with some added frontcourt depth on a cheap deal.