The Houston Rockets are out as they were easily eliminated by the top-seed Golden State Warriors despite the absence of reigning MVP Steph Curry. Apparently, Game 5 of that series may just be the last game of All-Star center Dwight Howard with the team.
After an impressive run in 2015, the Rockets regressed tremendously as they finished on breakeven record, 41-41. After their devastating game five defeat against the Warriors, James Harden opened up what happened all throughout the season on Twitter.
Also, GM Daryl Morey was on the defensive when asked what went wrong for his team. He took to Twitter to say that there is really no negative atmosphere inside the locker room but instead, this is a ploy from other teams.
Regardless, the Rockets are reportedly breaking up the James Harden- Dwight Howard combo once the off-season kicks in, Brew Hoop reported. Apparently, the 30 year-old center may be the one to leave town as the Rockets management has made it clear that Harden is their franchise cornerstone. Howard will be a free agent in July and the Rockets are not expected to match any offer for the center.
NBA analyst Calvin Watkins told ESPN that the top destinations for Howard are the Milwaukee Bucks, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Charlotte Hornets and his former team, the Orlando Magic.
Among these teams, Milwaukee appears to be the favorite to land the former All-Star. Should that be the case, Howard will boost the Bucks' frontcourt which needs of a center. This will form a longer starting five of Howard, Greg Monroe at power forward, Jabari Parker at small forward, Kris Middleton at shooting guard and Giannis Atetoukounmpo at point guard.
Here is how Howard fared against the Bucks in one of their regular season meetings in February.