Free-agent big man Dwight Howard cut contact with the many teams pursuing him in order to focus on making a decision by Friday, according to reports from Peter Vecsey and Adam Schefter.
Teams still want to continue convincing Howard, says Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, but they presumably won't get their wish as "it appears he's shutting it all down to decide now." Rather than continue milking his free agency, Howard could be ready to make a decision by Friday.
Whether Howard opts to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for another five years or moves on to one of his many other suitors -- Houston, Dallas, Golden State, Atlanta -- the announcement will take the biggest name off the market.
At that point, it's likely several other dominoes will fall as teams that miss out on Howard look toward their respective Plan Bs.
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