Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard could opt out of his contract after the 2015-16 NBA season. And if he becomes a free agent, Howard will reportedly express interest in signing with the New York Knicks.
NBA insider Ian Begley of ESPN revealed that sources close to Howard's thinking have indicated that Howard is really intrigued by the possibility of signing with the Knicks this summer.
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"Some of Howard's friends have let it be known recently that the center would be interested in coming to New York as a free agent if he opts out of his current contract," Begley wrote.
Howard, who is playing in the third season of his four-year contract worth $87.59 million, is expected to opt out of his current deal, especially after the Rockets tried to move him before the trade deadline in February. ESPN reported that the Rockets reached out to several teams to gauge their interest in Howard but found no takers.
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Previous reports also indicated that Howard does not have a good relationship with fellow All-Star James Harden, who reportedly asked the Rockets to move Howard to another team, which was later denied by the high-scoring guard.
But even if Howard is high on signing with the Knicks, Begley pointed out that it is still unknown at this point whether or not team president Phil Jackson will be interested in acquiring Howard, especially now that they have a blossoming big man in rookie Kristaps Porzingis.
But one thing is for sure, the Knicks will be very active in free agency this summer, as they will be armed with at least $18 million in cap space. Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony recently said that he will play a big role in convincing big-name free agents to play in the Big Apple.
"If we want this team to be better, if we want more pieces of this team, I don't have a choice but to go out there and do my job and try to get people to come," Anthony told reporters via ESPN. "And for them to see it from my perspective [more] than anybody else's perspective -- see it from a player's perspective."
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