As much as we have been led to believe that Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard being traded to the Golden State Warriors is a bad deal all around, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s just as viable an option as Howard going to the New Jersey Nets.

The first point to consider is that there isn’t enough that any team can currently offer to pry Howard from Orlando until after the All-Star game. The Magic are hosting the event and trading him now would be a PR nightmare.

This is initially why Golden State starts to make sense.

Warriors’ insider Tim Kawakami wrote in the San Jose Mercury News about the team’s willingness to be the trade partner, no matter when the Magic make the move:

Yes, the Warriors want to be in the Howard trade market and have told this repeatedly to the Orlando Magic–whether it’s now, tomorrow or right at the March 15 trade deadline.

In fact, it’s becoming clear that Lacob and the GSW management puts Howard on a much higher tier than they put Chris Paul back in December.

Okay, now that we’ve established that the teams could work out some sort of deal, there is the idea that Howard would never re-sign long-term with the Warriors.

While this may be true now, given a few months of talking to players and coaches, checking out the area and community and realizing that it’s a nice place, there may be a better chance that he would consider it.

If nothing else, it’s an inside lane to re-signing a player who will be one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. That’s a risk that the Warriors may be ready to take.

While it’s obvious that Golden State isn’t where Howard wants to be, team officials are confident in their plan to sway his opinion. As Kawakami wrote:

Also, one source indicated that Lacob wouldn’t want Howard to walk away for nothing, but is at this point willing to consider letting that all happen–as a last option–to clear out the Warriors’ cap situation and re-start.

The Warriors weren’t going to do this for Paul. They are willing to entertain the notion of a clear-out for Howard.

Again, Lacob likes his core. But if he had a shot at Howard, he’d apparently risk giving up two or three of his favorite pieces and if it meant re-starting when/if Howard left, Lacob seems to be OK with it.

If it doesn’t work out in Golden State for Howard, he will walk into free agency and get whatever money and destination he wants. In that sense, this deal works for Howard.

As for the future of Golden State, the Jerry West/Mark Jackson combo has already begun the rebuilding project, and this would just speed the process of starting from scratch.

It’s obvious that the team as it is currently built isn’t going to win anything, so blowing it up in a deal like this would allow the team to be rebuilt in a way that could bring championships.

The Golden State Warriors have to do something, and they know it.

Check back for more on the National Basketball Association as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NBA Page to get your fill of all things basketball.

Follow @Donald_Wood .