Wizards Re-Sign Free Agent Josh Howard

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has re-signed free agent swingman Josh Howard. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

“We were impressed with Josh’s versatility, how well he fit in with our team and his attitude and work ethic both before and after his unfortunate knee injury,” said Grunfeld. “His experience playing in a winning situation makes him an ideal veteran presence for us as we develop our roster of young talent.”

A former All-Star (2007), Howard holds career averages of 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 435 games (371 starts) over seven professional seasons in Dallas and Washington, including career highs of 19.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists during the 2007-08 season. He was originally acquired by the Mavericks in the first round (29th pick) of the 2003 Draft, and later appeared in 62 career playoff games (57 starts) for Dallas, with averages of 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in postseason play. Howard averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23 playoff games (all starts) for the Mavericks during their run to the 2006 NBA Finals.

Howard initially joined the Wizards via trade from Dallas on February 13, 2010, and appeared in four games (three starts) for Washington last season. In his first three contests as a Wizard, he averaged 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game before a knee injury on February 22nd vs. Chicago caused him to miss the final 28 games of the season.