NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic Must Deal Dwight Howard Immediately To Maximize Value

Every indication is that Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has no intentions of remaining in Orlando past this season, despite that the Magic continue to hang onto him. I believe they need to make a move quickly to maximize their return.

According to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic seem content to wait until the March 15 trade deadline to deal Howard as they have begun talking to teams who might be interested in acquiring Howard as a hired gun rather than a long-term option.

While you have to believe that Howard will be gone at some point this season, it makes little sense to wait until the deadline. By that point the Magic will be desperate to unload him, and it is highly unlikely that they will be offered as good of a deal as they might be able to get right now.

The two teams rumored to be most heavily involved in the "Superman" sweepstakes are the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. Schmitz speculates that the Lakers will be willing to trade high-ceiling center Andrew Bynum in a deal for Howard.

That may not be ideal as Bynum is clearly no Howard, but there isn't another center in the league that can compare to him. If anybody has the ability to get somewhere close to Howard's level, it is Bynum provided his balky knees are able to hold up over time.

The way I see it, the Magic have four options. They can trade him now, trade him at the deadline, re-sign him or let him walk in free agency. I wouldn't call re-signing Howard an impossibility for Orlando at this point, but he simply doesn't seem like a player who is particularly happy in his current situation.

There is no question that the absolute worst thing that could happen is losing Howard for nothing. The same happened to the Magic in 1996 with Shaquille O'Neal as he bolted for the Lakers in free agency. Losing Shaq and getting nothing in return set the franchise back for years, and they only truly came back to prominence when Howard was drafted.

With so much uncertainty regarding Howard's intentions, the safest and smartest thing to do is to trade him as soon as possible. If Orlando waits until the deadline then it might get a decent package in return, but other teams will have the upper hand in the negotiating process.

Making the deal right now would ensure that the Magic get the best return possible, though. I know that it can't be easy for Orlando to trade away its franchise player, but the Magic simply can't afford Shaquille O'Neal Part II to take place.