Dwight Howard Signs With Sixers

Dwight Howard is headed to Philly.

Justin Grasso | Nov 20, 2020

Dwight Howard has agreed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, a source confirms to Sports Illustrated on Friday night. The signing was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Per Bobby Marks of ESPN, the deal is worth the veteran minimum exception of $2.6 million. The cap hit will be $1.6 million.

The 34-year-old center is coming off of a season of redemption with the Los Angeles Lakers. After teaming up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Howard once again established himself as a reliable center coming off of the Lakers' bench.

Last season, Howard appeared in 69 regular-season games for the Lakers. In an average of roughly 18 minutes of action, Howard put up 7.5 points-per-game, collected 7.3 rebounds-per-game, and had 1.1 blocks-per-game. During his lone season in Los Angeles, Howard acquired his first NBA Finals series win.

Now, the veteran big man will come to Philly (despite some confusion) to play backup center for the Sixers. Heading into the offseason, the 76ers employed Al Horford and Norvel Pelle. On Wednesday just hours before the 2020 NBA Draft, the Sixers traded Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson.

Then on Friday, the Sixers waived Pelle, leaving the backup center position vacant heading into free agency. Signing Howard indicates the Sixers will fill the void of Horford, Pelle, and Kyle O'Quinn in 2020.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

Published Nov 20, 2020

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA