Dwight Howard was not traded by the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline today, and now the organization's future is in his hands when he becomes an unrestricted free agent come Summer. However, when asked about balancing his offensive game with the Lakers, Howard said that they "have years to play with each other" via Kevin Ding of the OC Register:

"It's really the first year that I really haven't had an opportunity to really get as comfortable as I want to on the box -- to where I can really read the defense, read my man, make moves and play off of it, sort of like how I did in Orlando.

"But there's still time for improvement. We have years to play with each other, so it's a learning process."

While Howard maintains his stance that his decision will be made in the Summer, and only the Summer, he has alluded to the future multiple times in the last week and indicated that he has always seen himself as part of the Lakers future.

It's unlikely Dwight verbally commits to the Lakers before his impending free agency, but it's a positive sign to hear him talk about playing with this team for "years".

- Drew

- Follow this author on Twitter @DrewGarrisonSBN