Howard made a huge flip-flop before signing with Sixers

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The Sixers entered the beginning of free agency on Friday night with, among other things, a backup center on their to-do list. 

A number of big men signed deals Friday, and for a moment it seemed Dwight Howard was one of them when he announced on his own Twitter account his return to Los Angeles, after winning a title with the Lakers this season:

Except... then he deleted that tweet.

And then reports surfaced that indicated Howard was still considering all his options, despite the fact that Howard himself (!!!) declared he was returning to Los Angeles.

Weird!

Then, a little more than an hour later, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick confirmed a report that Howard was signing a one-year deal with the Sixers:

Uh, okay then!

Here's what happened, according to Yahoo!'s Chris Haynes:

"Sources within the organization are adamant that a formal offer was never made, maintaining that dialogue was merely a 'deal concept.'

"Howard thought if he agreed to the 'deal concept' that it was a done deal, sources said.

"He was forced to delete his tweet."

There's the Dwight Howard experience Philadelphia fans are getting.

Howard is a fascinating fit. He brings championship mettle and veteran experience, and is an athletic big man who can run the floor while playing solid defense, and also contributing offensively. He posted a career-high offensive rating last season with the Lakers, and averaged his most blocks per 100 possessions since the 2012-13 season.

He is, however, 34, and I wouldn't be surprised if he only stays in Philadelphia for a season, at which point the Sixers could find themselves once again looking for a backup center.

And he was nearly headed back to Los Angeles, until he wasn't. Even on a night when free agency is relatively tame, the NBA is just an insane league.

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