NBA News Roundup, Monday, July 15th: Dwight Howard open to Lakers return, update on Bradley Beal's future and more
The 2019 NBA offseason is now well underway, and most of the in-demand free agents around the league have already been snatched up. At this point, the remaining pool of available talent is pretty shallow and consists primarily of veterans looking to extend their careers via minimum deals.
However, NBA teams will start to look towards trades over the coming weeks, and a number of major moves could still be in the works. So, with plenty going on around the NBA, here is all the latest news and rumors you need to know for July 15th.
Dwight Howard wants to return to Los Angeles
Back at the start of free agency, Dwight Howard was traded by the Washington Wizards to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, with the Grizzlies unlikely to compete for the foreseeable future, the veteran big is expected to be on the move once more in the coming weeks.
While no team has yet to register an interest in the former All-Star, Howard told the Los Angeles Times that he would like to return to Los Angeles with the Lakers or Clippers:
I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do love L.A. Staples Center is going to be rocking this season. When I played there it was rocking every night. The atmosphere is crazy, not just for the Lakers but the Clippers too.
Howard spent the 2012-13 season with the Lakers, although the center left the team the following summer despite being offered a five year, $118 million contract. The 33-year-old is also coming off an injury-hit 18-19 campaign in which he managed just 9 outings, averaging 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.