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Dwight Howard might be 37 years old, but that doesn't mean he's ready to stop playing professional basketball. The former All-Star center couldn't draw interest in the NBA this season, so he instead decided to play in Taiwan, where he posted impressive stats for the Taoyuan Leopards. Howard averaged 23.2 points and 16.2 rebounds per game in the nascent league, and he even managed to participate in the league's 3-point contest, but ultimately his performance abroad was intended as a stopgap, not a permanent destination. Howard is still eyeing a return to the NBA, and as he told Mark Haynes of the Sacramento Observer, he has one specific team in mind.

"I'm not retired from the NBA just yet," Howard told The OBSERVER. "I would love to help the Sacramento Kings contend for a title. Even though I believe their team is pretty much set."

The Kings are coming off their first trip to the playoffs in 17 years, where they pushed the defending champion Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round. Sacramento came up short in part due to its center play. All-Star center Domantas Sabonis struggled against Draymond Green, and Alex Len played sparingly as a backup before the Kings ultimately decided to go small with Trey Lyles as their backup big man. Richaun Holmes is still on the team and will make roughly $25 million over the next two seasons, but he has largely fallen out of the rotation.

However, that doesn't mean they'd view Howard as a viable target. Howard last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. His per-minute scoring and rebounding numbers dipped to some of their lowest figures in years, and Howard failed to recapture the defensive form that made him such a valuable part of their 2020 championship team. The Lakers chose not to re-sign Howard last offseason, and he hasn't generated NBA interest since.

As impressive as his numbers in Taiwan look, most NBA teams aren't looking for a backup center to handle the ball and shoot jumpers as frequently as Howard is now. They'd want him to protect the rim and finish dunks. At his age and given his struggles in his last NBA season, it just isn't clear if the Kings or any other team in the league thinks he can still do so.