Report: Dwight Howard ready to contribute in any way for NBA team ahead of meeting with Warriors

One of the more accomplished big men of this generation — Dwight Howard — is reportedly set to meet with the Golden State Warriors next week.

Howard has allegedly told NBA teams interested in him that he’s in shape and ready to contribute to a franchise.

“The 37-year-old has expressed to interested teams this offseason that he is in shape and ready to enter his 19th NBA season to contribute in any form for a franchise,” Shams Charania and Anthony Slater wrote.

Howard was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft after playing high school basketball at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.

The 6-foot-10 big man has played for seven teams — the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards — across his 18 seasons in the NBA. Most recently, Howard averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 60 games with the storied Lakers franchise during the 2021-22 regular season.

Howard is best known for his time as a member of the Magic, the team that drafted him in 2004. He spent the first eight seasons of his pro career with the franchise and averaged 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 621 total regular-season games played in Orlando (620 starts).

Arguably Howard’s best season with the Magic and of his NBA career came during the 2008-09 season. He was arguably the best center in the league that season, as he averaged 20.6 points per game while also leading the league in blocks (2.9) and rebounds (13.8) per game in 79 appearances.

Those numbers were good enough for Howard to earn an All-Star nod as well as a spot on the All-NBA First Team.

With Howard leading the way, the 2008-09 iteration of the Magic enjoyed a whole lot of success. They finished the 2008-09 regular season with an excellent 59-23 record, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

Also, Howard’s Magic made it all the way to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The big man had himself an excellent championship series, though, as he averaged 15.4 points, 15.2 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game for the series.

While the eight-time All-Star isn’t the same player he was during his time with the Magic, he’s still capable of being a productive reserve big man, as evidenced by his numbers with the Lakers during the 2021-22 regular season.