NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard's Stance Must Result in Trade
Nothing has changed regarding Dwight Howard and his demands to be traded from the Orlando Magic, and that means everything has to change from the front office's standpoint.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports things are eerily status quo in regards to the Magic, their star center and how things are moving towards the trade deadline. Robbins writes,
""Howard's trade request remains on the table, Magic General Manager Otis Smith said Tuesday.
The front office will assess where it stands with Howard on or around March 1, which is the first day players who signed as free agents this offseason can be traded."
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The Orlando Magic continue to do exactly what Dwight Howard wants in regards to winning and putting together a team that could contend. Still, he wants out.
That fact more than anything should have the franchise panicking to get anything they can for the best center in the league. Instead, they remain as cool as Day One of the season. It's hard to tell if this is posturing or just dumb, blind hope.
The teams that he would like to be dealt to continue to be the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
Smith continues to delay the inevitable and Howard continues to wish for greener pastures. Although, I wonder how green those pastures could possibly be.
The Magic are currently 21-12, sitting at third place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are out of playoff contention and the Lakers are far too mediocre to think they will win anything soon.
The Mavericks are the only team really in the hunt, but the same issue that would hit them in a Howard trade would hit other teams.
Smith is not about to take back trash, it is one of the reasons things have dragged on as long as they have. Whichever team gets Howard in a trade will be gutting a good portion of their current squad.
The report goes on to say that if Howard stays in Orlando, the two teams that are in the best shape to sign him in free agency are the Nets and Mavericks.
Some call Howard selfish for not stating his intentions clearly, but that is evident in not pulling a trade demand while he sits on a winning team.
The Magic are not going to get better out of nowhere and that means Howard is leaving as soon as the summer free agency period begins.
We are about to see a flurry of action after March 1st. The Magic must move Howard before the deadline, because if not, they will certainly lose him for nothing.
