NBA Rumors: Why Orlando Magic Must Send Dwight Howard to New Jersey Nets

It has started to appear to the Orlando Magic that the trade situation involving Dwight Howard is becoming irreparable.

One of the best big men in the game today, Howard has shown his discontent in Orlando and will most likely continue to be unhappy until his demands are met.  

It may be best for the organization to move Howard before the March 15 trade deadline in order to get a few things in return.  So the question is this—which team would give up the most in order to land Superman?

Both the Lakers and Mavericks have mostly older veterans at their expense if they choose to pursue Howard, which may or may not be in the interest of the Magic's front office. 

They should be searching for a king's ransom to replace Howard.

If Orlando wants players in return that could contribute for years to come, it would be wise to send Howard to the New Jersey Nets. That way, the Magic could get the most bang for their buck and still have a good, young group of core players.  

The Nets gave up quite a bit to grab Deron Williams from the Jazz last year, including a first-round pick (which turned out to be Enes Kanter at number three), Devin Harris and Derrick Favors. Even after all that just last year, they still have legitimate trade pieces to make a push for Howard.

The Nets somehow maneuvered their way into another first-round pick this season, after a Terrence Williams trade with the Rockets during last year's draft.  This pick will most likely be a top-five selection (as was the Jazz's last year), and will belong to the Magic if it is embedded in the trade. 

With that pick, the Magic could go with a someone who shined at the college level, like Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Kansas' Thomas Robinson.

And then there is the players that the Magic would instantly receive from the Nets.  New Jersey has many players at their disposal that they could unload to land Howard.  

Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Mehmet Okur, MarShon Brooks, Jordan Farmar and DeShawn Stevenson would all be in the discussion of players the Nets would be willing to move if the Howard trade ever materialized into something.  

Lopez is definitely the main trade chip the Nets would have to offer. He has only played one game this season while recovering from a broken foot, but the league is aware of his skills. He averaged 20.4 points and six rebounds per game last season and showed he can hang with the best big men in the NBA. The Nets and Magic face off on Wednesday, so we will see the Lopez-Howard matchup first hand.  

After Lopez, there could be many different combinations of Nets who could end up in Orlando. Humphries has been playing good basketball lately, and he would add immediate rebounding help to the Magic, even with the loss of Howard. 

Rookie of the Year candidate MarShon Brooks would be a good fit in Orlando as well. He is averaging 14.2 points per game, while giving the Nets some quality minutes.  Brooks would be an instant upgrade in the starting lineup over Jason Richardson and J.J. Reddick, or he may even come off the bench. I could see him making an impact in Orlando much like James Harden does for the Thunder. 

It seems as if mostly everyone on the Nets' roster, except Deron Williams, is fair game. A number of different players could end up going to Orlando in this trade, with Lopez being the centerpiece of the offer. 

I could see the Magic ending up like the Denver Nuggets last year after the Carmelo Anthony trade. They became more of a united team after the distractions were over, and they were able to finish off a great season.  

Another plus—they would be sending Howard to a team who is only 10-24 through Tuesday. That way, the Magic probably will not be seeing Howard come playoff time unless the Nets are able to turn it around. 

This situation would be the best possible for both organizations, so the Magic need to get it done.