Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Warriors Reportedly Have Interest in Renting D12

Mark Jackson and the Golden State Warriors want a shield to add to their arsenal of swords.  The franchise’s biggest weakness over the past number of years has been the defensive side of the court and they looked determine to change that.  Dwight Howard’s wish list of teams doesn’t include the Warriors, but they don’t care.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Thursday…

Oakland, California doesn’t have Los Angeles’ market and I don’t think Howard wanted to move to the west coast for the beach.  It isn’t like the Warriors possess talent that would not only interest the Magic as trading pieces, but also interest D12 to stick around.

One, if not two out of their three talented young guards in Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and Klay Thompson would have to be included in an offer.  Losing Curry, though, would turn off Howard so Ellis and Thompson are the two most likely candidates for a swap.

Along with any guards, Orlando would have to get a replacement at center for Howard in any deal.  Golden State’s only true centers are Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown.  David Lee is capable of playing center, but starting next to Glen Davis, the Magic would have a severely undersized frontline.

Orlando wants veteran pieces that would keep them as a playoff contender.  Golden State just doesn’t have the players to please the Magic and Superman at the same time.

Renting Howard would only be a realistic option if the Warriors could compete for an NBA title.  For how much they’d be forced to offer the Magic, their remaining roster just wouldn’t cut it.

On the Warriors’ team website, a quote from their new head coach Jackson reads, “We are going to turn the Bay Area upside down.”  If Golden State goes all in for Howard, they’ll turn the NBA upside down and Howard will fall into the lap of the New Jersey Nets or Dallas Mavericks next summer as a free agent.

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