Dwight Howard Reportedly Gave Up Almost Half His Guaranteed Salary to Play for the Lakers
By Sam Dunn
Dwight Howard is serious about this whole LA redemption tour thing. So serious, if fact, that in order to get himself out of Memphis and into a Purple and Gold jersey, Adrian Wojnarowski reports that he sacrificed almost half of what he would have been guaranteed to earn in 2019-20.
Sources: Dwight Howard surrendered nearly $2.6M of his $5.6M guaranteed salary to Memphis in buyout. He can earn $2.6M on his vet minimum deal with Lakers -- if he survives on roster past early January. Ideal outcome for Grizzlies, who never intended to bring Howard to camp. https://t.co/uLglUip1JT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 24, 2019
Is a non-guarantee in Los Angeles better than security in Memphis? Well, that depends on whether Dwight can keep his nose clean and stay in the good graces of Laker management. But in the meantime, he suddenly finds himself in a position to compete for a long-elusive NBA championship.
“Can we trust you to guard the likes of Joel Embiid? Can we trust you to embrace your role?”
— Stadium (@Stadium) August 24, 2019
Our NBA insider @ShamsCharania reveals the Lakers' decision-making process that resulted in a surprising reunion with Dwight Howard. pic.twitter.com/7NjJE0hZ1p
That Howard is betting on himself is a modestly encouraging sign. But until the eight-time All-Star really puts in the work and shows he's fully committed to the grind -- you can't fake that kind of thing around LeBron James -- none of this will matter. Giving up cash in hopes of chasing a title is one thing, but at this point, Lakers fans will only care about actions.