Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Latest News on Potential Destinations

The Dwight Howard saga is getting interesting again with the struggles of the Orlando Magic.

Howard has been vocal by making sure everyone knows almost weekly that he still wants traded and has even hinted at different teams he would be willing to play for.

It's very doubtful still that Magic general manager pulls the trigger on a deal before the All-Star Game. With the game being held in Orlando, the last thing Smith wants is Howard playing in it for a different franchise.

Stranger things have happened though, so let's take a look at the latest news surrounding Howard's potential destinations.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are one of three teams that Magic general manager Otis Smith gave Howard's agent permission to talk to.

But with the emergence of Lakers center Andrew Bynum and a more pressing need at point guard, all has been quiet on the Howard to the Lakers front.

The Lakers have been willing to give Orlando a choice of Bynum or Pau Gasol, but it's going to take much more then that to land Howard.

They are still in the mix because Howard has indicated a desire to play in Lakerland, but realistically the Lakers don't have the combination of talent, draft picks and salary cap relief that the Magic are looking for.

New Jersey Nets

The Nets still remain the front-runner in the Howard sweepstakes because they are thought to be Howard's preferred destination.

They can make the best overall offer which would include Brook Lopez, a pair of first-round picks and possibly MarShon Brooks.

They are also in position financially to take back the contract of Hedo Turkoglu which is almost a necessity for the Magic.

Then there's the fact that Deron Williams is already in place and he's the guy Howard wants to play with. A team like the Lakers for instance couldn't sign both players without gutting their roster and Howard made it known he doesn't want to see a team do that.

Of the three teams on Howard's original list, New Jersey is the one that we still hear the most about, including a new rumor that Howard and Milwaukee guard Stephen Jackson have discussed playing together in New Jersey.

Finally there's the thought that Howard may be willing to play out the season in Orlando and sign with the Nets as a free agent following the season.

Add all that up and the Nets are leading the chase.

Chicago Bulls

Howard is now open to playing in Chicago.

A Howard-Derrick Rose combination would be lethal. However Rose is one of the few superstars in the league not pushing for a superstar sidekick so I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

Chicago would have to part with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah at a minimum and it would be very difficult for the Bulls to break up what they have going on, even for Howard.

New York Knicks

Stephen A. Smith reported the Magic and Knicks had discussions about a trade that would send Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler to Orlando in exchange for Howard.

I wouldn't put too much stock into this idea either.

For one, Howard has shown no indication that he would sign an extension with the Knicks and New York would be foolish to pull the trigger on a deal without that guarantee.

There's also the fact that the Knicks signed Chandler in the offseason, meaning he can't be traded until March 1.

If Howard is still in Orlando in March, which he's likely to be, we can revisit this thought then.

Orlando Magic

If Orlando had little chance of signing Howard before the season, they have next to no chance now.

Howard's continued demands and behavior are turning him into the bad guy and deservedly so right now.

Say what you want about LeBron James' exit from Cleveland, but at least he played out his contract and didn't hijack his team like Howard is doing.

With one foot already out the door, he looked almost classless riping his teammates publicly. A guy that's so committed to leaving can't be all that upset when others aren't giving maximum effort around him.

Having said that though, he's still the best big man in the game and the Magic still have to try and keep him, but he's losing a lot of popularity in Orlando.

They have next to no chance at keeping him beyond this season.

Philadelphia 76ers

Philadehia's name popped up briefly in the Howard sweepstakes last week, but the Sixers have no chance at landing Howard.

They would be willing to trade anyone on their roster, but Howard has no desire to play in Philadelphia so this rumor has no traction.

Dallas Mavericks

The NBA champs have positioned themselves nicely by shedding enough salary cap space to bring in both Howard and Williams, but they have nothing of value to trade so they have no chance.

Their best bet is to hope that Orlando doesn't trade Howard, which is a possibility and then make a serious run at both guys as free agents.

Williams is from Dallas and has hinted at wanting to play at home if New Jersey can't acquire Howard.

Boston Celtics

Howard flirted with the idea of the Celtics for about 30 seconds after Boston beat his Magic twice last week.

He had some nice things to say, but even though Danny Ainge will have a ton of money to throw around next season, the Celtics are a very long shot because Howard really doesn't want to play there.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers seem like a logical choice for Howard and Chris Sheridan even reported that Howard had added them to his list, but that turned out not to be the case.

They are an extreme long shot to acquire Howard, but don't close the door completely. If all of Howard's preferred option fail, he could reconsider the Clippers.