NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic Would Be Crazy to Not Trade Dwight Howard

This may be impossible to believe, but the Orlando Magic might not trade Dwight Howard at the trade deadline and risk losing him over the summer.

Crazy, right?

Here's what Chad Ford of ESPN had to say in a recent SportsNation chat on the manner:

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The rumblings we're hearing out of Orlando seem to say that the Magic are leaning toward holding onto Dwight Howard and trying to figure something out in the summer. Of course, that can change if the right offer comes along. Frankly, if I'm the Magic I'd take what the Nets are offering Lopez, + role players a mountain of picks or what the Lakers are offering Bynum possibly Gasol. Either one is better than the end game of losing Howard for nothing.

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There is the possibility that the team could try to orchestrate a sign-and-trade with Howard in the offseason, which might make it easier to move the center in a deal that would bring the Magic more assets than they could get trading him during the season.

But it's also possible that other teams will flat refuse to participate in a sign-and-trade knowing they could simply sign Howard.

In that case, Howard would have to inform teams he would only be interested in a sign-and-trade as a means of helping out Orlando. But I'm not sure if it would behoove Howard to do so, since he couldn't sign a max contract with the Magic in that instance according to the new CBA:

"A 30 percent max contract cannot be signed as part of a sign-and-trade transaction."

All of this to say, the smartest play for Orlando is to get what they can for Howard now and not risk losing everything this offseason.

I believe all of this talk is simply a ploy to make other teams believe that the Magic aren't in a position where they have to settle for a paltry return in a trade to ensure that they get something in exchange for Howard's departure. They're trying to gain leverage by acting as though they have options.

But they only smart option is to trade Howard at the deadline.

And no matter what they say, everyone knows it.

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