As the "Dwightmare" continues on, according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard still seems to have his eyes set on joining the Brooklyn Nets when he becomes a free agent this summer.

During a radio episode of "Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco," Smith said one of his sources told him about Howard's desire to head to New York City:

"I had a reliable source tell me this, Dwight Howard will categorically deny it, but I trust my source, when they were playing Toronto recently, he sat there on the court and told Rudy Gay, 'You messed up bad man. You should have waited and ended up with me in Brooklyn next year."

Though it's not clear who Smith's source is and for that matter whether it's reliable, but if the rumors were true, the Lakers may want to take the time now to make a trade for Howard before ending up with nothing.

This season has not been very successful for Howard, as evident to his performances in seasons past. However, with Kobe Bryant's retirement just a couple years away, the Lakers understand that they'll need to rebuild and that Howard will be the centerpiece for any future championship runs. Nevertheless, the front office has to convince him to stay long term before it can make any other moves.

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