Mitch Kupchak believes Dwight Howard will be impressed by team's commitment to winning championships, and will sign an extension.
The Los Angeles Lakers have made a huge gamble this offseason, by deciding to part ways with the up and coming All Star centre Andrew Bynum, who they drafted back in 2005 and have since worked hard to groom and develop into a dominating
player at his position.
Bynum seemed to be reaching the peak of his career when the Lakers traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers, to make place for All Star centre and three time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard.
There is no doubt that Howard, at this point, is a much better player than Bynum. He is a dominating player at his position, and has single handedly led Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. He has been the face of the Magic
franchise for the past few years, and his addition to the Lakers roster will certainly make them genuine title contenders next season.
However, the gamble with Howard is that he was acquired in a trade and will become a free agent next summer. Howard did not commit to a contract extension with the Lakers before they acquired him, and has openly said that he will
not sign an extension with any team, but rather wait and become a free agent. He could very well take a max contract next season and move to another team, leaving the Lakers without any strong centre.
However, General Manager Mitch Kupchak is confident that Howard will decide to stay with the Lakers after this season eventually, after he plays with the franchise for one season and is exposed to the fan base, their committed
front office and the opportunity to win multiple NBA championships.
“Our feeling all along has been to just get him here and we’re comfortable that after being in Los Angeles for a year, hopefully winning a lot of games, contending for a championship, being exposed to our fan base — which quite
frankly, goes way beyond Southern California. We go into New York or Charlotte or Utah or Phoenix, and there are always two or three thousand fans there wearing Lakers gear,” said Kupchak while talking to Sports Illustrated.
Apart from the fact that the Lakers are one of the most successful NBA franchises in history and have the ability to make championship teams season after season through smart offseason moves, Los Angeles is a great place to live.
While in L.A, Howard will be one of the biggest celebrities of the town, with Hollywood minutes away. The advantages of living in a city like L.A, along with the opportunity to be associated with a successful NBA franchise, will surely make it difficult for
Howard to leave next season.
Tags: