GM 'hopeful' Dwight Howard returns - ESPN
Updated: April 30, 2013, 9:34 PM ET
By Dave McMenamin | ESPNLosAngeles.comShould Howard Be The Future Of The Lakers?Should Howard Be The Future Of The Lakers?NEXT VIDEO- Should Howard Be The Future Of The Lakers?Should Howard Be The Future Of The Lakers?
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Lakers officially said goodbye to their disappointing 2012-13 season Tuesday, conducting their final round of exit interviews.
Now the key question of the offseason: Will Dwight Howard say goodbye to the Lakers?
Max & MarcellusListen to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak exit interview. Kupchak recaps the season and looks forward to the next season including Kobe's return from injury.
Howard has yet to make his decision about whether he intends to re-sign when he becomes a free agent come July 1 or explore opportunities with other teams.
"I want to get away from everything and focus on me and making the decision for me, and that's not happening today," Howard said after meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Mike D'Antoni.
Kupchak said he was "hopeful" and "optimistic" the All-Star center will be back with the Lakers next season and beyond.
"I know in my heart that this is a place where I think he should be," Kupchak said. "We have a great legacy, great history of great players in this city dating back to when the franchise came here in 1960, and he certainly fits the mold."
The GM said he did not know when Howard would make his decision but added, "I think he understands: the sooner, the better for everybody."
Kobe Bryant echoed Kupchak's stance.
"It's just a matter of what he feels in his heart and what he wants to do," Bryant said of Howard. "He's reached a crossroads at his career, and I think L.A. is the perfect spot for him to assert himself and have his career take off."
More on the LakersFor more news, notes and analysis of the Lakers, check out the Lakers Index. Blog
Howard can sign a five-year, $118 million max-level extension to stay in L.A. come July 1. The most he could receive if he were to leave is a four-year deal worth $87.6 million. Howard is expected to entertain the free-agency process and hear competing offers, multiple sources with knowledge of Howard's thinking told ESPNLosAngeles.com. Dallas, Houston and Cleveland are teams that will be vying for Howard.
Howard said not to "read too much" into his tweet following Sunday's Game 4 loss to the San Antonio Spurs: "I hope I get the chance to make it up to you! Thank u la."
"For me, I'm going to do what's best for myself, what's going to make me happy," Howard said. "At the end of the day, I can't control who likes me and who dislikes me but I have the right to be happy. That's what I'm going to do. That's the biggest thing right there."
Dave McMenaminESPNLosAngeles.comDave McMenamin spent five seasons as a staff writer for NBA.com in New York and Los Angeles before joining ESPNLosAngeles.com to cover the Lakers and the NBA.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGeOCq8iG8w2TcQjEwHPjjf0hmT7A&url=http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/9229059/mitch-kupchak-optimistic-dwight-howard-return-los-angeles-lakers
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