Dwight Howard Finalizing Buyout From Grizzlies With Plans of Signing With Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers were assessing their options as they sought out a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins after the center tore his ACL at a private workout in Las Vegas.

Well, it looks as if they've found their man, and they're hard at work getting a deal done to bring him to Hollywood. Welcome back, Dwight Howard.

According to Shams Charania, D-12 is finalizing a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and intends to sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency.

Howard had a rather infamous stint in Los Angeles back in 2012-13. He was acquired alongside Steve Nash to help the Lakers win the NBA Finals, but instead the team struggled to mesh, with the abundance of personalities and unfortunate injuries causing the team to crash out of the playoffs via a sweep at the hands of the Spurs.

He'll get a chance to redeem himself now in his second stint in La La Land, and we'll see if he's truly grown up as he's claimed throughout the offseason.

Howard is far from the perennial All-Star he was during his prime, and he's bounced around the league over the past few years. The Lakers would mark his fifth team in four seasons.

In 2018, Howard only played nine games for the Wizards before missing the rest of the season. During his short stint in the nation's capital, he averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

Now, Howard will look to prove that he still has some gas left in the tank, while also fending off the bright lights of the LA media, especially given he's playing alongside LeBron James.