Count Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry as one of the few people who don’t buy into the notion of Dwight Howard opting for free agency this summer.
Most believe it’s going to happen. Howard has a player option and the Rockets were the league’s biggest disappointments last year. It doesn’t help that Howard has had some pretty revealing interviews as of late and doesn’t sound too enthusiastic.
Still, Terry hit SiriusXM NBA Radio and cautioned onlookers not to jump to conclusions, according to HoopsHype:
“I wouldn’t rule (a return) out,” Terry said in an interview with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He has yet to opt out. Again, it’s just going to depend on if you get the right coach in there.”
This could be a veteran player just towing the line. But Terry is 38 and presumably pretty well-connected within the NBA. If he’s hinting Howard will stick it out should the right coach come on board it’s possible there’s a large dash of truth to it. And Howard might want to stick around and see if he can post better numbers under new leadership because it’s hard to tell if the free-agent market would even consider him a max-worthy player anymore.
There’s an interesting element to remember, too—Houston might not want Howard back. Now, the front office won’t hire someone just to push Howard away, but freeing up that cap space and finding a better on-court fit with James Harden might be on the new agenda.
Regardless, Terry’s words might right very true in hindsight. Howard, technically speaking, is far from done in Houston.
