NBA Trade Rumors: Teams with Veteran Packages Needed to Secure Dwight Howard

In order to pry Dwight Howard from Otis Smith’s hand, teams must surrender more than just their farm.  The Orlando Magic aren’t content with simply acquiring two to four young prospects that could potentially turn into starting-caliber players.  No, the Magic want interested teams to offer a chunk of their core for the league’s most talented center.

ESPN’s Mark Stein reported this past week that according to sources, Orlando doesn’t what the type of deal New Orleans received for Chris Paul, but they’d:

"

“Prefer to bring back multiple established veterans who can keep the team competitive.  Reason being: Orlando has moved into a new arena last season and has a 85-year-old owner in Rich De Vos.  Sources say De Vos has little interest in starting over/rebuilding, as evidenced by the recent decisions to trade for Glen "Big Baby" Davis and re-sign Jason Richardson even though Howard's future is so murky.”

"

The report comes as a slight shock because for the longest time, the New Jersey Nets were supposedly in the lead in the race for Superman with Brook Lopez as the key trading piece.  At 7’0”, 265 pounds, Lopez averaged a measly six rebounds a game last season, an embarrassing number for a big man with his size. 

You can’t build a contender around Lopez so one has to wonder if the Magic truly want skilled vets, then how in the world were the Nets ever in the conversation?

Anyway, they’re out of it now with a broken foot inactivating Lopez.  That leaves the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls as the remaining teams with the strongest links to D12.  Now, each team has the talent that the Magic would desire, but every tie his its own resistance to get a deal done.

Orlando wants Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and there isn’t the slightest chance that Jim Buss offers Smith both seven-footers.  Atlanta has already attempted to throw Joe Johnson into a swap for Howard while keeping Al Horford out, but the Magic would understandably prefer the other way around.

Dallas just won a world championship and doesn’t have the pieces outside of Dirk Nowitzki to win an auction for Dwight.  Chicago can offer the Magic veterans to keep them competitive as well as up-and-coming prospects, but Howard is resistant to re-sign with the Bulls because he and Derrick Rose are both signed to Adidas.  And Tom Thibodeau’s crew may not want to rent-a-Dwight with their already-strong core.

In this crazy circus that is the Superman-sweepstakes, one thing is for certain if this latest development is correct: If Orlando wants veterans to contend now it would be wise to deal D12 ASAP so that the Magic’s new rotation can gel before a potential playoff run.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels