5 Reasons Why the Orlando Magic Must Keep Dwight Howard Until Summer

To keep Dwight, or not to keep Dwight?

That has been the ongoing question for Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVos Sr. and general manager Otis Smith.

With the halfway point of the NBA season coming up, the clock is ticking on Howard's contract, who is set to become a free agent at the end of this season.

DeVos recently made it clear, "I don't want to trade him."

And here are five reasons why the Orlando Magic shouldn't.

To Stay Competitive

Although the Magic looked offensively inept in their recent four-game losing streak to close out January, they have since recovered to win four of their first five February games.

The team currently owns the six seed in the Eastern conference playoff race and is only five games behind the Chicago Bulls for first place.

At their current position, they would draw the Philadelphia 76ers as a first round opponent—a team that features injury-victims Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand as their primary interior defenders.

In a seven-game series, I’d give the edge to Orlando even without home-court advantage.

Howard has made it clear that he wants to win.

Now whether “winning” entails a trip to the NBA Finals, or a mere first-round victory remains to be seen. Regardless, the best chance for Orlando winning requires Dwight Howard in a Magic uniform.

Howard Still Might Stay

With Howard’s definition of “winning” still unclear, hope remains that he will decide to resign with the team that made him the first overall pick in 2004.

At the beginning of the month, Otis Smith told the Orlando Sentinel that the All-Star center’s list of preferred destinations has not expanded—with the short-list including the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and New Jersey Nets.

Howard’s season averages of 21 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks are stellar, yet might be linked to his desire to be traded; however, his leadership during a recent loss to New Orleans proves otherwise.

In a January 27 loss, Howard scolded his teammates for their lack of effort and execution.

It’s one thing to lead a team with statistics—it’s another thing to lead the team with criticism.

If Howard had given up hope on his team, he wouldn’t have become so emotionally invested in his halftime plea.

The Magic should take a lesson from their leader and not give up hope on bringing him back for another season.

Continuity Amongst Roster and Fan Base

Without Howard on the roster, Magic fans have very little to cheer about.

Even if Orlando obtained the second-best option at center in an exchange for Howard, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum lacks the pedigree and charisma to replace “Superman” as the face of the franchise.

The one surprise for the Magic this year has been forward Ryan Anderson, who is averaging seven more points per game than his career 9.5 average and is shooting an incredible 43 percent from three-point range.

Bynum has been impressive, but still doesn’t command the same attention as Howard—attention which has been providing Anderson with quality looks from beyond the arc.

It’s safe to say that if someone within the locker room besides Howard called out the team in New Orleans, the weight of the message wouldn’t be the same.

Howard is the unquestioned leader on this team.  And he's the only one who can let both his words and numbers do the talking.

The Roster Isn't Built for Rebuilding

When healthy, the Orlando Magic feature a nightly rotation of nine players.

Aside from Howard, Chris Duhon, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Jason Richardson, Quentin Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis, and Ryan Anderson can be expected to receive significant playing time.

Six of those rotational players have already served at least seven years in the NBA.

The three who haven’t are Anderson, Davis, and Redick—not exactly the cornerstones you would build your franchise around.

If Bynum found his way to Orlando, he would be a 24 year-old franchise player who has yet to play an entire season with extensive minutes.

If Howard really does want to leave during the offseason, chances are that he’ll want to be paid as much as possible like LeBron James did when leaving Cleveland.

With this in mind, it is likely that Orlando does a sign-and-trade to make sure they don’t lose Howard for nothing.

For the sake of their roster—present and future, the Magic should take their chances by keeping him.

Orlando Would Never Receive Full Compensation

The consensus is that Andrew Bynum is the best player that the Magic can obtain for Howard. However, Bynum’s career averages of 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks aren't nearly comparable to Howard’s 18.3-point, 13.0 rebound, and 2.2 block career marks.

Even with one or two additional first round picks that would likely fall in the 20’s, Orlando still wouldn’t be adequately compensated for their four-time All-NBA First Team center.

While Bynum is conscious of making the All-Star team, it has become routine for Howard.

Simply put: No matter who the Magic end up receiving in a deal for Howard, it would be a huge mistake to let him get away.