NBA Trade Rumors: Will Magic Owner Rich DeVos Really Hold on to Dwight Howard?

Dwight Howard's future hangs over the entire 2012 season. Will he be traded before the deadline? Will Howard be traded to the Chicago Bulls? The rumors are rife and potential deals are all over the Internet. Where and when will Howard leave the Magic, if at all?

The newest rumor, direct from Magic owner Rich DeVos' own statements, is that Howard will not be traded at all before the NBA trade deadline in March. Ageing owner Rich DeVos does not want to break up his team and start over with young players and draft picks.

It's much the same reason for why Mike Illich overpaid Prince Fielder: DeVos wants to win a championship sooner rather than later and if the Magic deal Howard they will be very, very far away from contention.  

It makes sense from his perspective. If he wants to win a championship and savor it, why intentionally start over and set his team back years?  If there was ever a time for DeVos to gamble, it might be now. So, even if it makes less sense for the long-term future of the franchise, the Magic's owner may just hold on to Howard.  

DeVos seems willing to test Howard's willingness to leave. Unlike Carmelo Anthony, Howard is not dogging it on the court still seems like he might consider staying. His preseason statements indicated that he has a soft spot for Orlando, which could be a difference maker in a free-agency negotiation.  

Since the Magic can offer up to $30 million more over five years in free agency, DeVos and GM Otis Smith may gamble that Howard will not turn down that kind of money to leave a strong team in a warm weather city just to go play in Dallas or New Jersey.

In fact, that may be the key: the two best destinations in terms of on-court fit (Chicago) and marketability (the Los Angeles Lakers) cannot sign Howard as a free agent.  If he stays in Orlando until the summer, Howard will have to choose between Dallas, New Jersey and possibly Houston, but is there any compelling reason to leave Orlando to go to those places?  

So, not dealing Howard may sound risky and foolish but DeVos' statements give legs to the rumor and Howard's lack of options make the idea less crazy than it initially sounds.