Dwight Howard Reveals he Didn’t Want The Magic to Trade Him to The Lakers in 2012

Dwight Howard joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012, but this trade wasn’t really his favorite option. The Lakers big man didn’t want to join the purple and gold. However, playing with the Lakers is one of the best decisions he has made in his career. The Magic agreed to a four-team trade with the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Philadelphia 76ers almost a decade ago.

“My intention when I first left Orlando was not to go to L.A., and the Magic knew that, but despite my wishes to go somewhere else, they sent me to L.A., which was one of the places at that time that I did not want to go,” Howard said in his interview with The Athletic’s Fred Katz. “I felt like it would have made people feel as though I was trying to follow in somebody else’s footsteps.”

Dwight Howard has better season than his 2012 stint

Howard’s first stint with the Lakers didn’t go really well. I guess he had a bad feeling for his shipping to LA. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, and Howard left the team to join the Houston Rockets.

His second stint is a different story. Howard joined the Lakers right on time for their title win. The Lakers beat Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat inside the NBA bubble in Orlando. It was the 17^th win for the team and Howard played his role on the floor.

The big man is on his third stint with the Lakers. General Manager Rob Pelinka signed a group of veterans to improve the roster and fill up some of the holes on the game plan. Howard agreed to play with the Lakers once again.

This season is a bit challenging for the Lakers. They suffered many injuries and have to improve their record. Some veterans didn’t click right away. Everyone has to improve, including LeBron James. He admitted that his game has to improve so his team can win more games.

The Lakers could use Howard’s career averages of 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Head coach Frank Vogel has to find a way to implement this into his gameplan.