Philadelphia 76ers add center depth with Dwight Howard

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed… yeah, Dwight Howard.

Well, this is a surprise. The Philadelphia 76ers have signed Dwight Howard to a one-year contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. This comes shortly after Howard seemingly re-signed in L.A., only to have those reports rescinded.

Howard experienced a rejuvenation with the championship-winning Lakers last season, averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game. He bought into his role as a rim-protector and rim-runner, to great effect. His defense off the bench was of legitimate importance to the Lakers’ title run.

At 34 years old, Howard is in the twilight of his career. He played under Daryl Morey in Houston once before, and the Sixers are generally considered a title contender — even if the Lakers would have represented a clear path to Howard’s second ring.

The Sixers needed a backup center after trading Al Horford and waiving Norvel Pelle. While rumblings of Nerlens Noel flooded the internet, it appears a reunion was not meant to be. Instead, Howard — a future Hall of Famer — will supply his talents behind Joel Embiid.

Howard is a perfectly adequate reserve, but he doesn’t shoot the ball — at all. Most backup center minutes will coincide with Ben Simmons running the offense. How Howard and Simmons mesh will be interesting. Simmons hasn’t played with a lob threat of Howard’s caliber before, but neither poses a threat outside 10 feet.

Last season, Howard converted on 72.9 percent of his field goal attempts. On the other end, he tallied 1.1 blocks per game — an impressive number considering his limited playing time. Howard was, genuinely, good. Daryl Morey did say Doc Rivers’ recruiting skills could come into play, and it likely took some strong persuasion to keep him away from L.A.

The Sixers don’t have much money or roster space to work with. Howard will sign for the veteran’s minimum of $2.6 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That’s less than the $3 million offer he declined from L.A., a mild shock considering he recently opened up about the desire for a real payday.