Dwight Howard and the Brooklyn Nets will begin discussions on a buyout.

Howard will join the 2018 free agency class on July 6th when the trade becomes official.

The Nets acquired Howard on Wednesday from the Charlotte Hornets.

For the Nets, acquiring Howard was about unloading the contract of Timofey Mozgov to become a free agent destination with cap space in 2019.

"I want to be in a situation where I have an opportunity to help a team win," Howard said Thursday during a phone interview. "That's my only goal. All I need is a real chance and a clean slate where it's not people talking about my past."

Howard was surprised by the trade.

"I was just really in total shock because I wasn't expecting it to happen," he said. "I thought this season was really good. For one, this is the healthiest I've been and two, my stats this season has been one of the best since I've been in the NBA."