2012 NBA Trade Deadline: Two Players to Keep Dwight Howard in Orlando

The March 15^th trade deadline is rapidly approaching heading into All-Star weekend, and there is still no resolution as to what Dwight Howard’s future with Orlando will be. 

There’s plenty of speculation that teams like the New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers will offer the best package for Dwight, but it’d be in the best interest of the general manager Otis Smith and Howard himself to stay in Orlando if they want to save face.

The “Free Dwight from Orlando” campaign is not nearly as hot as the “Free Nash from Phoeinix” cries, but Dwight’s argument to leave Orlando is fair on most accounts. 

Dwight, like most superstars in the league nowadays, probably wants to play with other high-profile talent in the NBA in order to succeed in the league.  His reluctance to demand a trade and his relay to the media that his first choice is in fact to stay in Orlando, puts GM Smith is quite the predicament entering the All-Star weekend. 

The truth of the matter is Smith has put himself in his own quandary by making the Magic roster nearly impossible to upgrade.  The trade last season that brought over Hedo Turkoglu (three years, $34 million), Jason Richardson (re-signed this offseason for four years. $24 million), and Earl Clark (re-signed this offseason for two years, $2.5 million) highlights a series of bad contracts the Smith has dished out in a feeble attempt to recreate the 2008 Magic team that reached the NBA Finals. 

The current Magic roster is over the current cap for the next two seasons and is without an expiring contract to move this season.  The team's two best trade assets, as far as contract value and talent, would be point guard Jameer Nelson (two years, $15 million) and breakout forward Ryan Anderson (two years, $5.5 million). 

Anderson, who was denied a contract extension this season by the Magic, will most certainly be off the trading block come March given his production on the court for minimal cost.  With that said, Nelson remains the team’s best trade asset. 

The challenge for Smith is to find a team with a proven player that the Magic would have a legitimate shot at trading for, given the team’s slew of overpaid, mediocre players.  When it’s all said and done, the Magic may have a chance at acquiring one of these two players.

Monta Ellis

Ellis seems to be the subject of trade rumors every season.  If you add up the facts such as Ellis’s inability to play in the same backcourt with promising young guard Stephen Curry, coach Mark Jackson’s new emphasis on defense and the emergence of rookie guard Klay Thompson, what you get is a selling point to move Ellis now more than ever.

Not to mention the team’s 12-17 start to the season puts them at the bottom of the league standings, again. 

Joe Johnson

Yes, the Hawks are currently sitting pretty at 19-13, despite the injury of All-Star big Al Horford.  But most of their success cannot be credited to their overrated and overpaid shooting guard.  So far this season, Johnson is on pace to have to worst season of his Hawks’ career, averaging a mere 17.6 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting. 

Although it’s expected the six-time All-Star will surely rebound from his slow start, the Hawks franchise may want to reevaluate their future with Johnson.  His enormous contract (five years, $107 million) puts the team’s ability to add further talent to their core extremely difficult. 

Getting back to Smith and the Magic, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that no one on the Orlando’s roster fills a need for either the Hawks or the Warriors in a trade for their respective players.  So it’s likely the Magic will have to try and pull in a third team to make the deal work. 

Enter the league owned New Orleans Hornets and their disgruntled center Chris Kaman into the picture.  The rebuilding Hornets have been trying to move Kaman and his $12 million expiring contract for the past few weeks now. 

They also happen to have a glaring hole at point guard, a spot currently being occupied by the often injured Jarrett Jack and second-year guard Greivis Vasquez. With the Hornets headed for the lottery this summer in a frontcourt-heavy draft, the team may want to move Kaman for a point guard like the Magic’s Jameer Nelson now and replace their whole in the middle with a stud rookie entering next season. 

For Orlando to make any trade offer for Johnson or Ellis, here’s how it may have to play out. 

For Johnson:

Orlando trades: Jameer Nelson (New Orleans) and Jason Richardson (Atlanta)

Atlanta trades: Joe Johnson (Orlando) and Kirk Hinrich (New Orleans)

New Orleans trades: Chris Kaman (Atlanta) and Jarrett Jack (Atlanta)

Because Orlando is getting the best player back in this deal, they are unfortunately stuck with Johnson’s contract long term.  But the pairing of Johnson with Dwight makes for one of the more interesting one-two punches in the league. 

Atlanta finally gets a center in Kaman that allows both Josh Smith and Al Horford back to their natural forward positions, making quite a dynamic frontcourt.  Richardson replaces the void left by Johnson while former Georgia Tech standout Jack will help solidify the point guard spot behind Jeff Teague.   

Adding Nelson is an instant improvement for the Hornets at point while Hinrich and his expiring contract offsets some of the cost savings lost by moving Kaman entering next summer’s free agency. 

For Ellis:

Orlando Trade: Jameer Nelson (New Orleans), JJ Redick (Golden State), Danial Orton (New Orleans), 2012 first-round pick (Golden State)

Golden State Trades: Monta Ellis (Orlando), Andris Biedrins (Orlando)

New Orleans Trades: Chris Kaman (Golden State)    

Ellis’s youth and favorable contract (compared to Johnson’s) means Orlando will have to pony up more in a deal.  In this particular deal, Orlando will have to take on Biedrins’ deal (three years, $27 million) to convince Golden State to move Ellis. 

In return, though, the Magic are left with a starting five of Ellis, Richardson, Turkoglu, Anderson and Howard, a formidable and improved team out East.

Golden State’s addition of Kaman is an automatic upgrade at center and also gives them the cap flexibly to make moves next offseason if they choose not to retain Kaman.  Redick supplies them with some added spark off the bench while rookie Thompson will be promoted to the starting lineup, making a much more cohesive backcourt partner with Curry long term.

Again, New Orleans trades Kaman for an asset in Nelson that can help them now and into the future to pair in the backcourt with the currently injured Eric Gordon.  In addition, they’ll get a free look at second-year center Daniel Orton, where he’ll have more opportunities to play in New Orleans.

Calling a trade for a caliber player like Joe Johnson and Monta Ellis a challenge would be an understatement for Otis Smith and the Magic.  But if it’s feasible, it’s difficult to imagine they team would not pull the trigger on one, especially if it meant keeping Dwight Howard long term.  It should make for an interesting March down in Orlando.