I see no chance at all he opts in. Not saying there isn't a chance he returns although it's not Likely but if he does it'll be him opting out then re-signing.
Dwight - "i want to make this work" Les & Morey - "yea....its not you, its us" We would be forced to push him out of town!
If he opts in, I wouldn't care what they'd trade him for. I'd be thrilled with a second round pick from which ever team is dumb enough to take him.
I've been thinking about this a bit lately... it's pretty much a worst-case scenario for this summer. But I don't think it's likely.
If Dwight opts in despite all the incentives to leave, we should just trade him straight-up, and should not feel bad about it because he ripped us off for 2 straight years.
If you are the 4th highest paid player in the league earning max salary, and then only plays half the games during the regular season (last year), or has been extremely mediocre on both ends of the floor and can't even break top 10 in your position (this year), that would qualify as ripping us off.
They were able to get a 1st round pick out of Asik. Some fool team like the Bucks or the Hornets will give up a protected 1st round for Howard if he opts in. Bucks and Hornets tried to trade for Howard this season and were willing to give up 1st round pick, but only if Howard opts in, so he 's highly desired...by dumb owners.
This. This really should end any concern about him opting in. The only reason he would opt in is if he suffers a major injury before the season ends. "Knock on wood"
Clearly that position must stink for him to still be there? him being top 3 five years ago is very different from now. Our defense stinks even when he is in! He either does not boxout or when he contests a shot and causes a miss, no one rotates to boxout the center
Then he's a trade asset...remember teams didn't want to trade for him because he wouldnt promise to opt in
His decision could be dependent on who the next coach is. If it's anyone from the current staff, he's gone. IMO, the only way he opts in is if JVG coaches this team again. He says it time and time again that they need to get Dwight the ball when he has his man pinned - problem is, Rockets shy away from it more often than not.
I don't see Dwight opting in for several reasons: 1) He wants out. His body language and actual language in interviews are not those of a guy who's eager to spend even one more day as a Rocket. 2) He wants to get paid. 23 mil guaranteed is nice, but why not get a 3-4 year deal instead? Especially given his recent history of injuries. 3) It's highly unlikely he's more coveted a year from now than this summer. He's on the decline physically and he's not exactly a fundamentally sound player. Better to get a new contract now than risk being a free agent in a year when he's even older, less athletic, and potentially injured again.
