Dwight Howard had an opportunity to sign with the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors this summer, but ultimately opted to join the Washington Wizards after getting a DM from All-Star point guard John Wall.
According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Howard recently discussed his free agency and how he wound up choosing the Wizards instead of the powerhouse out in Oakland. Despite all of the talk about Howard being a "locker room cancer," it appears Wall really wanted the veteran center on his team.
“Shoutout to John for reaching out to me and asking me about joining this team,” Howard said.
“No lie, when I saw the message on Instagram, I really got so happy. I was like ‘John just DM’d me, oh man this is crazy!’ After that, I really just started to put on my thinking cap,” Howard said. “I just thought about all the possibilities. I was like ‘man, this could be the best spot for me.'”
“Golden State called and I thought about them. But once John sent me that message, I was like man. I couldn’t tell him at first, but I was like ‘man, I’m going to be a Wizard.’ That was my mindset,” he said.
Howard, 32, eventually signed a two-year contract with Washington after reaching a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets. The 32-year old center averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Hornets last season, which are his best numbers since his All-Star season as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2013-14.