We already know what we’re in for in terms of the steady stream of reports and rumors that will flood us leading up to the free agent decision of Dwight Howard this summer. It even has a nickname, and although he’s technically not a free agent for another six weeks or so, the Dwightmare has already begun.

It was reported earlier that Howard would indeed be speaking to other teams besides the Lakers during free agency, and that he would take his time in exploring all options.

That has been confirmed in the most recent report surrounding Howard, but there are now some additional details to pass along in the form of teams Howard might be interested in joining once the process formally gets underway.

From Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:

With the Lakers hoping for a swift decision from Dwight Howard on his free agency this summer, the All-Star center has given no indication he will rush the process and has privately indicated that he plans to give strong consideration to multiple teams, league sources told CBSSports.com. Though Howard is adamant that his free agency not be marred by the circus-like environment that surrounded his departure from Orlando last summer, word already has spread to multiple levels of his support staff that Howard re-signing with the Lakers is far from a done deal. With six weeks to go before Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team that is said to intrigue him the most is the Houston Rockets, according to multiple people briefed on internal conversations surrounding Howard’s free-agent decision.

Why Houston? Well, James Harden is one place to start.

Howard wants to play for a winner, and one that has All-Star talent already in place in addition to what he’ll bring to a franchise. The Rockets also have other solid pieces in Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik, but it’s unclear whether or not some of those would eventually need to go in order for the team to afford Howard’s services.

The Mavericks are also mentioned in this latest report, and they’re already very close to having the cap space to sign Howard now. With Dirk Nowitzki promising a pay cut beginning the following season, the team will have the flexibility to surround Howard with even more pieces that could potentially complete a championship puzzle.

It’s extremely early in this process, and there will be a ton of reports and rumors that will be circulated before Howard makes his final decision. The advice to Lakers fans who are holding out hope Howard will return to Los Angeles is to remain calm and patient throughout it all, and to take everything you hear with a grain of salt until Howard’s choice has been made official.