Power Play

Juwan Howard was a six foot-nine inch forward who was drafted in summer of 1994 by the Washington Bullets during his junior year at the University of Michigan. Although he accepted what he considered an “unfair” deal for 11-year contract at $37.5 million with option of becoming a free agent after second season, he knew he had to prove himself as a valuable in National Basketball Association (NBA) in the seasons to come. Washington fell in love with Juwan on the court where he averaged 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game and volunteering for charities when he was off the court.

In summary this case examines the events directly involved in Juwan Howard’s negotiations with the Washington Bullets and the Miami Heat as a free agent. Howard always believed Washington was where he wanted to be, upon becoming a free agent, the same loyalty was not extended by the Bullets in negotiating a new contract. Several teams pursued Howard, but the Miami Heat offered him the most attractive contract that included a number of bonuses and perks. The Miami Heat potentially disregarded a collective bargaining agreement disallowing teams to make promises or undisclosed offerings to players without the consent of the league. The Miami Heat made a verbal contract with another star player who could have potentially put the team over the agreed upon salary cap. After signing Howard on this premise, the contract negotiated by Howard’s agent could prove to be null and void. The case goes on to describe the events leading to the NBA’s decision to disallow the contract offered by the Heat and allow the Bullets to pursue an agreement with Juwan Howard.

Both the Washington Bullets organization and Juwan Howard benefited from the events of the draft for the 2002 – 2003 seasons. The Washington Bullets franchised ultimately spent more to keep Juwan Howard than they had originally offered; however they realized intangible benefits.

Benefits for Washington Bullets

The...