Dwight Howard is a big name with questionable value on the free agency market. It's expected that Howard won't return to Houston since the Rockets hired Howard's old coach Mike D'Antoni; the two clashed frequently in Los Angeles.
The question, however, was what teams would be interested in him? Now there's word of two teams out of the box.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the Hawks and Celtics are the first two teams to schedule meetings with Howard in free agency.
The two first suitors are interesting for different reasons.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are in pursuit of Kevin Durant and it seems unlikely that they'd want to pair Durant with Howard, so it would seem that Howard is on some level a default plan in case Durant and/or Al Horford doesn't select them.
Howard is an odd fit with the Celtics but beneficial in several ways. They struggled with rebounding and rim protection, which Howard provides. If Howard is willing to work in the pick and roll, he could be effective, but establishing fit with Isaiah Thomas or Marcus Smart might take some time. If Howard wants to get the ball in the post as he always seems to, that will likely throw a wrench in the offense.
Furthermore, the Celtics were successful in part by pushing the pace and running teams out with their constant pressure and attack. Howard limits their ability to push the pace even with his athleticism. It's also unclear whether Howard's happy-go-lucky attitude will mesh with a taciturn and scrappy roster.
The Celtics had big hopes going into the last week of making major additions. Adding Howard would be adding a good player, but it would also be a letdown given the kinds of names rumored to be on their target list (Durant, Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins).
Atlanta Hawks
Given their hopes of retaining Al Horford this is a bit weird. ESPN reports the plan is to pair Horford with Howard, but that means either moving Paul Millsap to small forward, which isn't a long-term solution, or trading him, which would be a radical move. If the Hawks aren't planning on pairing Horford and Howard, this could be due diligence on a possible replacement option if Horford signs elsewhere.
Howard doesn't seem like a Hawks-type player on the surface. They opt for versatility and shooting at all five positions and Howard definitely lacks that. But he is a signature name with a good reputation in Atlanta, and would provide a rim protection and rebounding upgrade they've been lacking. (They and Boston share a lot of the same issues.)
It should also be noted that the Hawks are notoriously tight-lipped, so it seems like this leak may have come from Howard's side as an approach driven to try and increase offers and the market value for Howard. Boston and Atlanta won't be the only two teams to pursue Howard, but as the first, they present an interesting sample of the kinds of odd fits Howard may face when trying to find a team willing to give him the huge payday he's been after.
