Just using common sense, it is highly unlikely that Howard will get another max deal after this one, let alone two. Doesn’t matter if he takes a four or five-year deal, this will be his last monster contract.
He has already peaked as a player, so the percentages say that he is only going to get worse as the years go on. For a long time he never got hurt, but lately his body has betrayed him. Dwight though isn’t prone to using his brain, so his reasoning for possibly taking a 4-year-deal would be because he believes there will be bigger and better contracts in the future.
Howard is keen on becoming a free agent again to coincide with the NBA’s new national television deals and potentially a new collective bargaining agreement.
Howard figures to have two more max contract deals in his career.
He will get his max contract either with the Lakers or someone else, but after the four or five years, it is likely he will be on the downside on his career and accepting far less than the max from teams.