NBA Trade Rumors: Can the Orlando Magic Recover If They Lose Dwight Howard?

Perhaps one of the biggest story lines after the NBA Finals was the future destination of Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard.

Would he stay in Orlando? Or would he go with the trend and get traded to a bigger market like Los Angeles or New York?

Unfortunately the newly enforced lockout on the players could somewhat delay this intriguing trade situation from playing out, but that has not stopped media outlets from discussing the possible outcomes of the Dwight Howard saga.

Clearly, Howard is the most-important player on the Magic's roster, especially on the defensive end of the court. He is a three-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year and he broke Wilt Chamberlin's record of four consecutive seasons of leading the league in blocks and rebounds.

And this past season Howard showed how dominant he could be in clutch situations. Although they were defeated in the first round of the playoffs, Howard still averaged 27.0 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game.

There's no question about what Howard means to the Orlando Magic.

The criticisms of the Magic have been a lack of quality talent around Howard that can take the team to another NBA Finals. And one must wonder, if the Magic lose Howard, can they still be a contender in the East? Or will they fall into the cellar like the Cleveland Cavaliers experienced when they lost LeBron James to the Miami Heat?

To appropriately answer this question, you have to look at a similar situation the Magic faced back in 1996.

Shaquille O'Neal was seemingly the savior of the Magic franchise after they selected him in the 1992 NBA Draft. While in Orlando, O'Neal led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals before eventually departing for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he went on to win three consecutive NBA Finals.

In the wake of O'Neal's departure, the Magic looked to new leaders to step up. Players like Penny Hardaway, Darrell Armstrong and Nick Anderson did just that. 

While many would assume the Magic would struggle after losing arguably the best center in the league at that time, they did just the opposite. 

Over the next four seasons, the Magic reached the playoffs twice and the other two seasons they finished 41-41, just barely missing the playoffs.

Flash forward to the current situation and the Magic could very well fare the same, if not better.

Fortunately, the Magic will most likely trade Howard if they realize re-signing him is out of the question. 

In return, the Magic are guaranteed to receive quality talent from potential suitors like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls or Los Angeles Lakers, among others.

Hypothetically, the Magic could receive players like Russell Westbrook, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer or Andrew Bynum in any of these scenarios.

A young, budding point guard like Westbrook could establish himself as Orlando's franchise player and he would be someone whom Orlando could utilize as a foundation for building another playoff contending team.

Even another young, big man like Bynum would leave the Magic in a decent situation. Bynum's career has been derailed by the injury bug, but when healthy, Bynum is a player who can score consistently down low, along with an intimidating defensive presence in the paint. 

Add in some of the other players that the Lakers would add in the trade like Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, and the Magic still have the talent to contend in the East. Perhaps, even a larger quantity of talent than originally with just Howard.

So if the Magic have to sign-and-trade Dwight Howard, fear not Magic fans. Orlando will receive a lot of young talent in return and be able to maintain success, even in the wake of Howard's departure.