Dwight Howard to sign with Atlanta hawks, per report

After rumors have been flying for days between the interest of the Atlanta Hawks and Dwight Howard, Shams Charania of The Vertical is now reporting that the two sides have struck a deal.

Charania tweeted the news Friday afternoon:

Dwight Howard has reached agreement on a three-year, $70.5 million with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources tell The Vertical.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2016

Howard averaged 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks last season for the Houston Rockets, a team that was knocked out of the first round by the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks will be Howard's fourth NBA team since he entered the league in 2004 with the Orlando Magic.

The signing of Howard should make things interesting for the Hawks moving forward in free agency, as Al Horford and Kent Bazemore have yet to make decisions. This could help further accelerate their decisions, but it's the first big signing of the offseason for the Hawks.