Dwight Howard has trekked off to the vast Western wilderness, presumably to grow a beard and ruminate on the deep mysteries of life, such as free-agency destinations, Kevin McHaleâ€™s hair and free-throw shooting.

If youâ€™re one of the other free agents on the market, this is a problem. You will be celebrating the Fourth of July holiday held hopelessly hostage to the whims of Howard and his decision-making process.

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Howard could, reportedly, make a decision on his next contract as soon as Friday. Or he could wait until July 10. Anyone who has spent the past year trying to discover whatâ€™s happening between Howardâ€™s ears knows what a futile job it is guessing at what he will do next.

While there was a flurry of activity on Tuesday, the second day of the free-agent period, there has been a notable lack of movement among the top names on the availability chart. Thatâ€™s because for most, including Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith and even oft-injured big man Andrew Bynum, the future is tied to whatever it is that Howard decides.

â€œWell, there is one guy we are all waiting on,â€ as one prominent agent put it. â€œThere is not much you can do until he makes his decision, and then you will see a lot of stuff start to fall in line. But there is a lot that is being left in a holding pattern, because so many teams are waiting to see what he does.â€

Five teamsâ€”you know, one-sixth of the leagueâ€”made presentations to Howard over a three-day period, and those teams are hamstrung for the time being. But the impact of the wait goes beyond them. Consider the ripple effects:

Atlanta â€¦

Smithâ€™s future is especially tied to Howard. Smithâ€™s current team, the Hawks, was one of those that met with Howard this week, and Atlanta has, surprisingly, expressed interest in keeping Smith. The Hawks could manage to do both should Howard decide to go to Atlanta.

â€¦ And that also affects:

The Bucks, who have expressed an interest in restricted free-agent guard Jeff Teague. Milwaukee is bracing for a mass exodus of guards, and Teague played for new Milwaukee coach Larry Drew. If the Bucks wind up with Teague, theyâ€™re likely to let their own free agent, Brandon Jennings, walk.

The Mavericks, who would be interested in making an offer for Jennings, and have also expressed interest in Milwaukee free agent Monta Ellis.

Houston â€¦

More likely, though, is that Smith and Howard wind up together with the Rockets. One of Howardâ€™s reservations about going to the Rockets has been the need to bring in a third star to go with James Harden, and Smith would be the guy to fill that void. Even if Howard does not go to the Rockets, they would be sitting on a considerable chunk of cap space, and would have to make a choice about whetherâ€”and how muchâ€”to give to Smith. His future, clearly, is tied to whatever Howard does.



â€¦ And that also affects:

Omer Asik, because if the Rockets get Howard, Asik would be trade bait. Houston has reportedly reached out to the Sixers about an Asik trade and the Blazers, also on the lookout for a big man, would be a possibility.

Dallas â€¦

Landing Howard would breathe life back into a franchise eager to give star forward Dirk Nowitzki a final crack at another championship. If the Mavs wind up with Howard, theyâ€™ll have only their midlevel exception to spend on other players, and would have to hope that they can work a short, bargain contract for someone like Monta Ellis.



â€¦ And that also affects:

Iguodala, first and foremost. If the Mavericks canâ€™t get Howard, sources said their top priority among a slew of Plan Bs would be Iguodala. Iguodala might prefer to stay with his current team, the Nuggets, but Dallasâ€™ interest would be a game-changer for him. The Pistons have also talked with Iguodala, who had a four-year, $56 million from Sacramento, which the Kings reportedly pulled because Iguodala did not give them a fast enough answer.

Bynum, who, with Ellis, Jennings, Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon, can all be thrown into a large sack labeled, â€œPlan B,â€ for Dallas. If the Mavericks come out of the chases for both Howard and Iguodala empty-handed, they will take a similar approach to last yearâ€™s roster, building it piecemeal based on short, flexible contracts.

Los Angeles â€¦

The Lakers offered Howard the most money, and thereâ€™s a chance that the challenge of getting the Lakers back on top after last yearâ€™s nightmare will appeal to Howard. If so, the Lakers will have to move quickly to answer other roster questions. This would be a team in need of a shakeup.

â€¦ And that also affects:

Expect Pau Gasol trade rumors to crop up soon after Howard re-signs in LA. Gasolâ€™s skill set might be a more natural fit in Mike Dâ€™Antoniâ€™s offense, but Gasol and Dâ€™Antoni never quite clickedâ€”they were arguably a worse match than Howard and Dâ€™Antoni. Remember, the Rockets nearly acquired Gasol from the Lakers before the Chris Paul deal fell apart. If they lose on Howard, theyâ€™d be a good candidate to take on Gasol.

Buckle yourself up for a litany LeBron James-to-the-Lakers rumors. If Howard leaves, the Lakers could simply look to clear out cap space and make a push for free agents in the summer of 2014. The headliner of that class is James.

Golden State â€¦

It would be a shocker if the Warriors somehow won the Howard Derby, but theyâ€™re in the mix. They have two key free agentsâ€”Jack and Carl Landryâ€”and canâ€™t afford to bring them both back. But while they dally with Howard, Jack and Landry have set their sights elsewhere, and the Warriors will seek alternatives. If Howard comes to town, though, those critical roster losses will be easy to overlook.

â€¦. And that also affects:

The Lakers, most obviously, because in order to land Howard, LA would have to make a trade that would send Andrew Bogut and one of the Warriorsâ€™ talented young wingsâ€”Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnesâ€”to the Lakers. Thatâ€™s not the worst outcome for LA, because Bogutâ€™s contract runs up this year and theyâ€™d add a young, cheap asset for their future pursuits.