With the NBA free agency already started, all attention seems to be concentrated on the eventual outcome of the "Dwightmare" that is the Dwight Howard free agency circus. There's plenty of talk on where the All-Star could end up, but there still remains to be some optimism within the Los Angeles Lakers that he'll return.

At this point it would appear that Howard already has one foot out the door heading towards the Houston Rockets, but 11-time NBA champion and current Lakers consultant believes it's best for Howard to remain in the purple and gold.

Jackson and Howard have maintained a relationship throughout the season as the two have admitted to texting each other during the season when times appeared to be at its roughest in Lakers nation. Though Jackson is set to play a role with this team moving forward, he'll at his house in Montana and doesn't sound like he'll be present in the Lakers meeting of Tuesday, but has left some words for Howard on Twitter before leaving:

This isn't the first time Jackson has campaigned for Howard's return, last week he said: "You get really close to players when you get in a final series.  You not only go against them, but you also [gain] great respect for them."

"Dwight wants to get back to that place and I admire that about him," Jackson said.

If Jackson can remain as active as he looks when it comes to personnel decisions, he could be that push that sways Howard to stay in Hollywood and chase the organizations 17th NBA championship.

It would make sense for Howard to return financially, but it can also greatly be beneficial to his legacy. If Howard remains on the Lakers and wins a few championships, he could go down as one of the best centers to ever play the game.

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