Howard re-signs with Wizards
Veteran small forward/shooting guard Josh Howard isn’t ready to call it quits just yet. The Wake Forest alum will be returning to the Washington Wizards after signing a one-year deal that is said to be in the neighbourhood of $4 million.
The Wizards wisely made sure that the contract is incentive laden on minutes and games played so if Howard suffers another setback, like his March 2010 injury, the Wizards will be paying him less. Even if Howard does match all the incentives and is paid the full $4 million, it’s doubtless that it is a good deal for the Wizards, and perhaps also a rather glaring sign of just how strongly the stock of one of the NBA’s former best players has dropped.
The 30-year-old was initially dealt to Washington on 13 February 2010 by the Dallas Mavericks. Along with Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross were also sent to the Wizards. In exchange, Washington sent Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson to the Mavericks.
When Howard arrived in Washington, his contract included an option that would have paid the respected support player in the area of $12 million. Due to an unfortunate cocktail of Howard’s off-court issues, declining production, and the torn ACL he suffered just three games into his stint as a Wizard, it seems pretty wise that Washington declined the option and waited to sign him for a more economical rate.
Howard is due to recover from the surgery to his torn ACL in time for the start of the NBA season in October, though the Wizards aren’t in a position where they will be needing or forcing Howard to return immediately if he feels unready.
The Wizards are currently in the midst of rebuilding their franchise and shedding as much of the image associated with star-player Gilbert Arenas’s gun-toting locker room incident is almost more important to the team than winning is at this point. The incident damaged the Wizards roster as they immediately sent the best of Arenas’s supporting cast, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Brendan Haywood, to other teams for very little compensation.
Howard was originally the 29th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Mavericks. During seven seasons in Dallas, Howard came to be regarded as one of the NBA’s most consistent supporting players. Until 2008, his scoring totals steadily grew and Dallas became increasingly reliant on his play. Howard had a career-best points per game average of 19.9 in 2007-08 and has averaged 15.3 ppg during his career.
Howard had 14.5 ppg in his few showings for the Wizards last year and if he is able to return anywhere near his former All-Star form, it will be a win-win for both him and his team. Howard could help the Wizards rebuild by working with newly-signed guard Kirk Hinrich as a veteran influence to help develop the Wizards’ future hope, number one 2010 draft pick John Wall.
Also at 6ft 7in, Howard gives the Wizards some much needed forward options. The team is currently undersized and must figure out a way to satisfy a rotation of Arenas, Hinrich, and Wall, the team’s three best players and all players used to playing the point. Howard provides all three with a nice finesse target and will be able to perform without relying on athleticism as much.
Howard can also parlay his one-year deal into a more prosperous contract for the future. At 30, Howard can still manage around five NBA seasons, and if he does well this year he might be able to make a good amount of retirement money. If Howard’s health returns, Washington could actually be a semi-decent team even after a severe roster purge.
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