Lakers can only wait for Dwight Howard now

The Lakers got the first word with Dwight Howard and, two days later, the last as well.

Now they wait for a yes or no to emerge from Aspen, Colo.

Howard took off for a few days of shelter and introspection after concluding a five-team, two-day run of being wooed, courted, charmed and flattered.

If recent history is a precedent, Thursday might be an active day for the Lakers. A year ago, they traded for Steve Nash on the Fourth of July, the fireworks that day eventually becoming a dud 10 months later with the Lakers’ first-round playoff flameout against San Antonio.

Now they simply wait. And wait. And wait.

They went through this in 2004 with Kobe Bryant, who waited 15 days until deciding he would stay with the Lakers instead of bolting for the Clippers as a free agent.

“I remember we were on pins and needles,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said last week. “There was a lot of uncertainty as to what Kobe would do. A lot of rumor, very similar to what’s going on right now.”

Of all the rumors, the one grain of truth is that Howard doesn’t know which way he’s going to lean. He has until July 10 before he can officially sign with a team, but a verbal confirmation is expected to arrive in someone’s front office at least a few days before then.

Will he go to Houston, with its promising young nucleus and historically boundless sponsorship opportunities in China?

Or to Dallas, where the Mavericks presented an animated mini-movie that caught Howard’s attention in Tuesday’s meeting, said a person with knowledge of it.

Or the unlikely destination of Golden State, where the fun and intriguing Warriors could acquire him only via sign-and-trade, which the Lakers are fully unwilling to do.

Or the even more unlikely choice of Atlanta, where he’d get friendly hometown headlines but not much in the way of fan support or past success.

Or, finally, back to the Lakers, where the backdrop of 16 championship trophies and the promise of next summer’s free-agent spending spree are certainly factors.

Howard is looking to the future more than the Lakers’ renowned past. And the Lakers know this.

Their presentation Tuesday didn’t involve a pass-the-torch video montage of legendary big men George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. (Not that the Lakers would have included O’Neal, who has continually criticized Howard through the years.)

Instead, their pitch focused on building Howard’s brand off the court and returning the franchise to greatness on the court ... even though it might not happen until next summer, when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Luol Deng could all be free agents.

The Lakers will have enough money in a year to sign at least one top-tier free agent, even if Howard re-signs.

Bryant, for his part, told Howard to listen to him more often to become a champion.

“You need to learn how it’s done first, and I can teach you here,” Bryant said, according to Yahoo Sports. “I know how to do it and I’ve learned from the best — players who have won multiple times over and over.”

The Lakers took down the “STAY” banner of Howard on the side of Staples Center, as they had planned to do after one week of exposure. The same mantra is still on display on several billboards throughout Los Angeles.

The Lakers will just keep killing time while Howard ponders his next step.

They got what they wanted nine years ago, when Bryant used a $250 pen to sign a seven-year contract worth $136 million — and eventually two more titles.

That 15-day wait, though agonizing, was worth it for them.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan