Mitch Kupchak remains confident that Dwight Howard will re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kupchak has been in contact with Howard since the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

“No different from what I said at the end of the season,” Kupchak said, when asked to assess his feelings on Howard’s pending free agency. “We have a dialogue, and we do talk, but we're not allowed to negotiate until July 1. We talk about when he's getting in the gym and what he's doing, how his back is feeling and things like that. From the conclusion of the season to July 1 is two months, so it's important to work on your body and your game in that time.”

The Lakers are eagerly awaiting an answer that will determine their next course of action this offseason.

“If there's one thing we're looking at this summer, it's what Dwight is going to decide to do,” Kupchak said. “That is the major moving piece. That will determine a lot about what we do. It's the one decision we will have to wait on. Then we will try to have a plan a, plan b, plan c depending on what happens. It moves quickly, so it's not like you can go to a plan b with certainty. There will be 29 other teams looking to improve their teams on July 1. But all of the ‘what if’ scenarios will be talked about, reviewed and ready to go. We spend a lot of time on those what ifs, contingency plans. Every day brings more information in this league – coaches get signed up, and so on, which gives you more insight into what may happen in the summer. But when we get closer to the draft and July 1, it gets more juicy.”