Dwight Howard Wanted to Join Nets for Inaugural Season in Brooklyn

The future hall-of-famer reflected on his 2012 trade.

November 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and power forward Reggie Evans (30) guard Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Lakers won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

If Dwight Howard's wishes were granted once his relationship had soured with the Orlando Magic, the last decade for the Brooklyn Nets may have looked shockingly different. On a recent episode of Gilbert Arenas' "Gil's Arena," Howard expressed his initial desire was to land with the franchise who had just relocated from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

"I didn’t want to go to the Lakers," he said. "I wanted to go to Brooklyn and just start my whole career over but I got sent to LA."

This move would have preceded 2013's fateful trade with the Boston Celtics, likely causing the lopsided deal to never take place. With Howard inserted into the lineup alongside Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, the Nets could've been competitive enough to stray away from leveraging their entire future in exchange for two aging stars. Orlando's price tag for Howard was steep, but far more worth the risk than what Brooklyn actually did.

The experiment in L.A. proved to be a failure, but there's no reason to believe Howard's shortcomings would be replicated with the Nets. He explained to Arenas that the lack of success was due to his relationship with Kobe Bryant and the pressure he felt of being the "new Shaquille O'Neal." With the Nets, Howard would've been allowed to continue to play as he was in Orlando, just while being surrounded by two other elite offensive weapons.

D-Will, Iso Joe and Superman would've been a sight to see in Brooklyn.

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