Dwight Howard landed in Los Angeles on Friday evening and contacted the Lakers, telling them he is 50-50 on his decision to sign with either them or the Houston Rockets, according to a source.
Howard’s call to the Lakers came hours after a person from his camp informed the team that he would not re-sign with Los Angeles, according to the source.
“He changed his mind,” the source said. “Hey, he’s Dwight. What can you say.”
The source said Howard had a possible change of heart because of the extra $30 million he would be leaving on the table if he signs with Houston.
“It’s hard to walk away from $30 million,” a source close to Howard told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “Harder than we thought.”
The Lakers can give Howard a five-year deal worth $118 million while Houston and all other teams can only offer $88 million over four years. No deal officially can be signed until Wednesday, when the league lifts its annual moratorium on player business.
Howard has told the Lakers that because of recent injuries to his back and shoulder, he realizes that the extra $30 million could be crucial if another injury hinders his playing ability or ends his career prematurely.
He said he’ll make his decision either later [Friday night] or early Saturday morning,” the source said.
Earlier Friday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed the Mavs are fully out of contention for Howard. The Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks also were told they are out of the running for Howard, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com.