Who will the Los Angeles Lakers choose as a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins who tore his ACL? Now, we have an answer. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Dwight Howard completed a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and he will sign a one-year contract with the purple and gold team.

Howard has done a lot to convince the Lakers that he is different and deserves a new chance. He lost 25 pounds; showed the team his back is healthy; arrived one day earlier than the scheduled time for the meeting; and told the team that he's willing to accept any role given to him.

Apparently, the Lakers were satisfied with Howard's attitude and decided to give him a second go since that failed partnership in 2013. Besides, the purple and gold need a veteran big man to fill in for Cousins, protecting the rim and the rebound.

So, how can Howard help the Lakers? First, the team will have three No. 1 drafted players: LeBron James from 2003, Howard from 2004 an Anthony Davis from 2012. Moreover, if Howard helps the Lakers achieve success, it will be a much-told tale about a repentant prodigal.

Second, Howard should be able to make some good contributions on the court. In the six seasons since he left LA, he dropped double-double in scoring and rebounding in five of them, except last season because he only played nine games for the Washington Wizards. In the 2017-18 season with the Charlotte Hornets, Howard was still able to put down 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on average in 81 games, including a 30-point+20+rebound one.

Nonetheless, none of these kept the Lakers from giving Howard a none-guaranteed contract and warned him that the team will only judge him by his actions, not his words.

The purple and gold team has good reasons to be conscious. First, Howard talks a lot and it's often about him being ready to change for the team, though so far he has presented no hard proof for his words. Second, Howard will reach 34 years old in December and the explosiveness, athleticism that earned him three straight Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) has been fading away.

Third and most importantly, Howard does not seem to know what should be his role on the court. He can still dunk and grab offensive rebounds but those are the only two things he can do in offense. Without enough moves or a strong lower body, Howard has no effective way of scoring in isolation play. However, he has been obsessed with posting up and unwilling to join screen play, not to mention that he is a terrible passer. In defense, Howard can block and protect rebounds but he's useless out of the paint. Simply speaking, he is not playing as a member of the team on the court.

There's actually more for the Lakers to worry about and that is Howard in the locker room. He has a history of being a trouble-maker since 2011: falling out with coach Stan Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic – and this is when he reached the summit of his career; hostility to Kobe Bryant in the Lakers; arguing with James Harden in the Houston Rockets; players celebrating after he left the Atlanta Hawks and the Hornets. The Lakers knew how locker room conflicts could hurt the team after last season and Howard does not give them any reason to trust him in this area.

The good news is that Howard will neither play an important role or much time on the court. Anthony Davis will be center in the team's decisive squad and JaVale McGee will also receive certain time thanks to his better finishing ability and willingness to do what the team wants him to do.

Besides, the Lakers can waive Howard any time they want without paying or losing anything since it's a none-guaranteed contract. The message is clear, if Howard disrupts the team, he's gone.