Dwight Howard won’t commit to Lakers beyond this season

Dwight Howard reluctantly came to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade after making it clear he did not want to remain with the Orlando Magic longterm. Howard was hesitant to come to the Lakers because had mixed feelings about sharing the spotlight with Kobe Bryant.

His fears manifested themselves; he and Kobe have clashed many times this season. The Lakers have also played poorly, which increases the likelihood that Howard will leave the team after the season.

During an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Howard, an upcoming free agent, would not commit to the Lakers beyond the current season.

“Right now, my only focus is to get us into the playoffs and win a championship. Nothing else matters at this point,” Howard answered when asked about his desire to stay with the Lakers.

When Smith pointed out that Howard was not committing to the Lakers beyond the season, Howard continued to focus on the current season.

“I’m committed to this team, and I’m committed to us winning a championship,” Howard said.

“I understand what the Lakers want. And I understand that right now, there’s no need for all the circus and all the stuff that happened last year to start back up. I don’t want it, my team doesn’t need it, I don’t need it and, frankly, the fans don’t need it.”

Well, the good news is that Howard doesn’t want to put everyone through the horrors of last season where there he seemingly changed his mind each week. The bad news (for Lakers fans) is that it looks like Howard is probably gone after the season. This probably should not come as a shock considering Howard said in December he wouldn’t rule out leaving the Lakers to chase a championship.

You can see video of Howard’s comments below: