NBA Trade Rumors: Playing Waiting Game with Dwight Howard Is Magic's Only Option

The NBA trade deadline is on March 15, exactly one month from today. 

Get ready for one last month of Dwight Howard trade rumors and trade speculation. The circus will not be over at any point in the immediate future.

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel noted on Tuesday night that not much has changed regarding the Orlando Magic's attitude towards Howard. His trade request remains on the table, but the Magic brass is content to wait until March 1 to "reassess their situation."

In other words, the Magic are in no hurry to give up playing the waiting game. If they are going to rekindle trade talks for Howard, it's going to be with two weeks to go until the deadline.

Waiting to fire up trade talks again until the deadline is in sight can't hurt the Magic. They know that there are plenty of teams out there that would love to trade for Howard, and making them watch time tick off the clock is only going to make them more desperate. By restricting a potential bidding war for Howard to a period of two weeks, the Magic would be in perfect position to capitalize on the desperation of one team in particular.

In the meantime, the Magic will continue their efforts to get Howard to stay in Orlando.

"They figure that winning games, being around teammates and hearing support from fans cannot hurt," writes Robbins.

Team owner Rich DeVos has played the sympathetic card with Howard, telling him that he may never develop a relationship with fans of another city like the one he has with the fans in Orlando.

Howard may be more attracted to the dollar signs the Magic can offer him, as Robbins notes that the Magic can offer Howard an additional year and higher annual raises than any other team in the league.

The question, of course, is whether or not fans and money are enough to keep Howard in Orlando. He's made no secret of the fact that he wants to win a ring, and that quest may take him well away from Orlando once he hits free agency.

No matter what the inevitable outcome ends up being, the point is that the Magic are in no hurry. They don't hold all the cards when it comes to Howard's future, but they're going to take all the time they need playing the cards they do hold. They're either going to convince Howard to stay or come to the realization that he simply must be dealt.

The key date is March 1. Up until that date, take all the rumors you hear with a grain of salt.

After that date, the rumors you're going to hear may actually have some substance to them.