NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard Smart to Add Los Angeles Clippers to Wish List

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard hasn't had any luck trying to escape Orlando despite several other high-profile deals throughout the NBA. So the All-Star big man made a smart decision to add the upstart Los Angeles Clippers to his shortlist of trade partners.

Chris Sheridan provides the details about Howard's fourth potential destination:

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SheridanHoops.com learned exclusively Monday that Howard recently expanded his list of preferred future destinations, adding the Clippers to a list that already included the Nets, the Mavericks and the Lakers.

“He’s been watching them a lot. He’s intrigued by the Clippers,” said the source, who is privy to the trade talks that have taken place between all of the aforementioned teams.

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Howard is clearly trying to maximize his chance of finding a new home. He's had no problem airing his grievances about the Orlando front office, which has failed to build a championship contender around him, and has shown zero interest in signing a long-term extension with the team.

Since it appeared talks with the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers had reached a stalemate, Howard needed to explore other possibilities. Based on the early-season results, the Clippers are a terrific choice.

Not only are they leading the Pacific Division with a 7-3 record, but they have also stolen the Los Angeles spotlight from the Lakers for the time being. Adding Howard would further solidify the Clippers as Los Angeles' most exciting team.

Not to mention, if there's any player in the league who belongs on a team nicknamed “Lob City,” it's Howard as evidenced below.

In addition to the Clippers making sense for Howard, they also have enough trade chips to make the Magic happy. The report doesn't make mention of any specific deals, but one name that would seemingly make sense as the deal's base is DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan is a great defensive player and the Clippers would likely be willing to part with anybody other than Blake Griffin or Chris Paul to get a deal done.

It's time for the Magic to get serious about the situation. They would be much better off getting a young player with a lot of potential like Jordan in a deal for Howard, even if it doesn't reach the level of fair market value for the league's top center, than letting him walk away for free.

Holding him hostage in Orlando with hopes he'll have a sudden change of heart isn't good business. The chances of it happening are slim-to-none and the ongoing drama sends a bad message to players the team will try to add in the future.

Howard is doing his part by giving the Magic more options like the Clippers, now it's up to general manager Otis Smith to make things right by working out a deal.