NBA Trade Rumors: Don't Buy Dwight Howard to NY Knicks for Amar'e Stoudemire

Just like it did toward the tail end of the Chris Paul saga, Amar'e Stoudemire's name has made its way into the Dwight Howard rumor mill. However, an Orlando Magic official has told Frank Isola of the Daily News that Stoudemire's name hasn't even come up.

When the most dominant center in the NBA becomes available, naturally every team should explore all of its options, but at this time, the New York Knicks and their fans shouldn't buy into any Howard for Stoudemire trade chatter.

Is Stoudemire a price that the Knicks would be willing to pay in exchange for Orlando's star center? Yes, but the fact of the matter is this type of deal just doesn't make sense for either side.

The Magic are looking for veterans to keep the team competitive in exchange for Howard, and while Stoudemire would do just that, his contract is steep, and remains uninsured. New York's power forward may be an Orlando native, but he presents a risk that is arguably not worth taking for a Magic organization looking to separate itself from bust-type acquisitions.

Additionally, Orlando is likely to want more than Stoudemire in return for their cornerstone. The Knicks could offer any combination of Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas to sweeten the pot, but each of those players remains unproven, which again, the Magic aren't heavily interested it.

What about Tyson Chandler? For starters, he cannot be dealt until March, but even if it gets that far, is a package of him and Stoudemire enough to get the deal done? No, it would likely take at least two of the aforementioned youngsters above. And at that point, the deal just doesn't make sense for the Knicks.

Furthermore, who's to even say that Orlando would be interested in taking on the bloated contracts of two battered big men? And if that's not enough to convince you, there is also the financial obstacle of New York finding a way to assume Hedo Turkoglu's deal.

This rumor is merely absurd at this point. There is no way both parties would be able to strike a deal that both sides would be on board with. New York could search for a third team to facilitate a deal, but even then, the Knicks are taking a huge risk on a player who hasn't even named them as a preferred destination.

New York finally has a true center—albeit an overpaid one—in Tyson Chandler. While Howard would be a welcomed upgrade over Chandler, the Knicks' true need lies at point guard. Not only does Howard's acquisition not fill that void, but if New York is forced to take on Turkoglu's contract as well, it restricts them in their ability to obtain one moving forward.

Baron Davis' return will be embraced, but the 32-year-old is hampered by back issues and is not a permanent solution.

For now, the Knicks need to assume an out of character front and focus on winning with the roster they currently have. The Howard trade rumors hold no serious merit right now, and as Isola's report also states, Stoudemire isn't worried "about that stuff."

And—at least for the time being—the rest of New York shouldn't concern itself with it either.

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