Report: Nets, Dwight Howard Will Negotiate A Buyout

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By WFAN.com

The Dwightmare continues.

Just a day after it was reported that the Nets and Charlotte Hornets agreed to a trade that would send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn and Timofey Mozgov, along with two second round picks, to Charlotte, the disgruntled center is now expected to enter buyout talks with the Nets, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.

Dwight Howard and Brooklyn will negotiate a buyout to enter free-agency, league sources tell ESPN.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 21, 2018

Howard was set to earn $23.8 million in the final year of his 3-year, $70.5 million deal he signed with the Atlanta Hawks prior to the 2016-17 season.

"I want to be in a situation where I have an opportunity to help a team win," Howard told ESPN during a phone interview Thursday. "That's my only goal. All I need is a real chance and a clean slate where it's not people talking about my past."

>>MORE: Lichtenstein: Will Stars Finally Align For Nets Following Howard-Mozgov Trade?

The two sides will work together on a buyout for Howard in order to allow the 32-year-old to enter free agency this summer. 

The 6-foot-11 center, whose next team will technically be his fifth in the last four years, will likely be one of the top free agent big men on the market this summer. Several contending teams are reported to have interest in Howard.

The trade will not be official until July 6th, when the moratorium has officially ended. After drafting Kentucky shooting guard Hamidou Diallo at 45th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Nets included Diallo as part of the proposed Howard trade.

Howard averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 81 games for the Hornets last season. It was the center's strongest overall season of the last four years, and the first time he played in over 80 regular season games since the 2009-10 season.