NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Teams That Give Dwight Howard Best Chance to Win a Title

Orlando Magic superstar center Dwight Howard will be the most sought after player this season (if there is one), much like Carmelo Anthony was last year.

Howard is entering the final year of his contract and has yet to commit long term to re-signing in Orlando.

The Magic will not allow themselves to lose Howard for nothing next summer. They want to avoid what happened to Cleveland last summer when they lost LeBron James to free agency.

The problem for the Magic is that Howard has all the power in deciding where he wants to be traded to if that's his demand.

Much like Carmelo last year, Howard can block a trade to any team he does't want to go to just by telling them he will not sign long term with them.

No team is going to give up a very good package of young talent and draft picks when Howard says he won't sign with them for the future.

This limits the number of teams the Magic can trade Howard to, and it just shows how much of a players league the NBA is.

This example of the player's power and ability to choose where they want to go to is one of the many reasons the NBA is in a lockout right now. It's tough for small market teams to deal with superstar players when they have all the power.

Let's look at 10 teams that give Dwight Howard the best chance to win his first NBA championship.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA and Oklahoma City Thunder Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, he currently attends Suffolk University in Boston. Follow him on  Twitter for NBA news and analysis.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the of the few NBA teams who can give the Orlando Magic a nice package of talent for Dwight Howard and give Dwight a great chance at winning a championship right now.

The Thunder has an abundance of proven young talent, and with young players such as Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Eric Maynor, the Thunder can allow the Magic to remain competitive even if they lose Howard.

Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard would be an amazing combo, and even though OKC is not a major market, they are destined to win multiple titles this decade.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most talked about destinations for Dwight Howard over the past few months.

The Lakers don’t have a ton of value to offer the Magic, especially in terms of young talent, but Howard would love to be in a major market like Los Angeles and play alongside Kobe Bryant.

Howard would be going to the Lakers with Kobe on the downside of his career, with several other players such as Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher whose best days are behind them.

The only quality young player the Lakers can offer the Magic for Howard is center Andrew Bynum, but Bynum’s injury history is a big red flag.

Bynum hasn’t proven he can consistently stay healthy for multiple seasons at a time, and his knees are too big of a risk to take on.

Howard’s first choice may be Los Angeles, but they are not a team of the future and will not give the Magic a good package in return for their superstar.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics will be a major player for Dwight Howard if he hits free agency in 2012, but if Howard forces the Magic to trade him, Boston might be a team he’ll want to go to.

The Celtics will have a ton of salary cap space and currently have just three players under contract for the 2012-13 season: Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley. Jeff Green is expected to be signed long term this summer.

The Celtics would likely be unwilling to include Rondo and Green in the same trade, and with Jameer Nelson at the point already, they may not need Rondo.

Howard is also a good friend of Celtics legend Bill Russell.

The Celtics can’t offer the Magic much in a trade, but if Howard wants to go to Boston they’ll have no choice.

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are a team on the rise and can afford to give up lots of talent for Dwight Howard and remain a top team.

Young centers Omer Asik, Joakim Noah and forwards Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Kyle Korver give the magic plenty of young players to receive in exchange for Howard.

The Bulls have been unwilling to part with Noah in other trade rumors over the years, but if Howard wants to go to Chicago they must part with Noah.

With Dwight Howard and 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls would be a championship caliber team for years to come.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are like the Oklahoma City Thunder in that they can offer the Orlando Magic a great package of talent for Howard and give him a great chance of winning a title.

The Grizzlies can offer many proven young players to the Magic, including guards Mike Conley, OJ Mayo, Tony Allen, forwards Rudy Gay, Sam Young and center Marc Gasol (if he is re-signed).

Memphis has a passionate fan base and an owner willing to spend money.

They have a star in Zach Randolph at power forward, one of the best small forwards in Rudy Gay and an up-and-coming star in OJ Mayo.

Dwight may not want to go to Memphis, but if he wants to win a title and give Orlando a good return for him, Memphis is a great choice.

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have been looking for a true center for years and even tried to sign Shaquille O’Neal before last season.

The Hawks currently have All-Star Al Horford at center, but he is a true power forward.

The Hawks have him, forwards Marvin Williams and Josh Smith and guard Kirk Hinrich to offer the Magic.

The Hawks are a team that hasn’t been able to advance the second round of the playoffs the past few seasons but have a solid roster of talent.

Alongside star shooting guard Joe Johnson, Dwight Howard could compete for a title.

The Hawks can’t give the Magic a great return for Howard and will not give him the best chance to win a title, but you can bet they’ll show interest if the Magic are shopping their star center.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a team loaded with talent and have a question mark in the middle with starting center Nene an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Nuggets can offer the Magic a nice package of players in exchange for Howard and still be an NBA Finals contender with him.

Denver can offer two solid young guards, Ty Lawson and Aaron Afflalo and young forwards Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and rookie Kenneth Faried.

The Nuggets could still have a deep roster even if they give up a lot ot acquire Howard.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trailblazers are a team stocked with talent, but the lack of a great center has held them back in recent playoff runs.

Greg Oden, the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft, hasn't been able to stay healthy for a full season, and it may be time to part ways with him in Portland.

The Blazers can offer the Magic an intriguing package of proven talent for Howard, including forwards Gerald Wallace, LeMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum and superstar guard Brandon Roy.

The Blazers will want to keep either Wallace or Roy, but either way they have enough depth to compete for a title with Howard and have shown the willingness to make trades and improve the roster.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are absolutely stocked with young talent. After they traded away superstar point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets last season, the Jazz built a roster of great depth and talent.

The Jazz also drafted the best center prospect in the 2011 NBA draft last month, Enes Kanter of Turkey.

Utah has the best package of young big men to offer Orlando in a trade for Dwight Howard.

Centers Enes Kanter and Al Jefferson and forwards Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors are four young big men with great potential.

Jefferson and Millsap are already solid players, and Jefferson can be a 20 points and 10 rebounds a game guy every night.

The Jazz can also offer young guards Devin Harris and Alec Burks.

Utah has so much talent up and down their roster that I would be shocked if they didn't acquire a big star before next season ends.

Howard could win a title in Utah very soon if he is traded there, and the Magic would also remain competitive because of the quality return the Jazz could give them.

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks don't have a ton of talent to offer the Magic for Dwight Howard, but like the Lakers, they are a team likely at the top of Howard's wish list.

The Knicks have a few good players to offer the Magic such as talented forwards Landry Fields, Jared Jeffries and guards Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas.

Howard would love to play with stars Carmelo Anthony and amare Stoudemire in New York, and if he wants to go there, the Magic are in a difficult spot.

New York has little draft picks and talent to offer the Magic, but like Carmelo Anthony last season, if Howard wants to go to New York and no other team, the Magic have no choice.