Lakers officially part ways with Dwight Howard even after Hall of Fame induction

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Dwight Howard is already in the Hall of Fame.

But until Wednesday, he also remained a line on the Los Angeles Lakers' salary cap sheet.

That's no longer the case, as the Lakers have renounced Howard's rights.

Not just Howard, either -- a long list that includes the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, too.

Check it out:

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially renounced the free agent rights to LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Dion Waiters, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Maxi Kleber, Nick Smith Jr, Jared Dudley, Avery Bradley, Jaxson Hayes, Markieff Morris, and Wayne Ellington.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 8, 2026

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Teams don't generally have much incentive to move on from a player's rights immediately, particularly at the end of a player's career.

They can occasionally be useful in salary cap maneuvers.

A team can only have a certain amount of rights held, though, and the Lakers' busy offseason meant it was time to clear the rights list of all of those players who once played for the Lakers but won't be again.

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A few are still active, like James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and others -- but a bunch of that list is already retired, and some have been gone for a while now.

Howard was a part of the Lakers' championship team in the NBA Bubble, and while that was late in his career, he made a positive impact.

Now, finally, his name is fully gone from the books. His stardom in the NBA will be much longer lasting.