NBA Rumors: Orlando Magic Owner May Kill Any Dwight Howard Deal

Dwight Howard still has a trade demand on the general manager's desk, but that will hardly convince an owner to ship out the best center in the game, no matter how much sense it makes. 

We may be in the middle of the All-Star break, when peace and love surrounds this great game. The biggest stars come together with the playoffs and finals clearly not on anyone's minds. 

One man that will have a great deal more on his mind is Dwight Howard. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports the trade demands we heard of weeks ago are still very much on GM Otis Smith's desk. 

Robbins writes: 

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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 obvious move for the Magic is to get something for Howard while they still can. The Magic are currently 22-13 and sit at fifth in the Eastern Conference. That may hardly be the lot of a future champion, but it is better than any of the teams that Howard would want to be dealt to. 

Do not hold out hope that something will be coming back for Howard in a trade. The Magic are far more likely to hold onto him, only to see the superstar leave for free in the summer, and this has everything to do with their owner, Rich DeVos. 

ESPN's John Hollinger writes on the latest hitting Orlando and their owner. Via ESPN Insider. 

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It doesn't matter that this is the most logical move from Orlando's perspective. Owners approve trades, and at his age, this owner might want to play it out. In fact, he's already told reporters he doesn't want to move Howard...Orlando is a long shot to win the conference, let alone the title. But from DeVos' perspective, a long shot may be better than no shot.

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It should be noted that you hardly want to give up the best defender in the league for a bunch of spare parts. 

The Magic are doing their due diligence by holding out until the trade deadline brings desperation quality their way. 

The nightmare scenario is heading to the postseason with a team that is not ready to win it all. Anything less will leave a bad taste in Howard's mouth heading into free agency. 

That is when Orlando fans can start talking about the good ol' days when Howard used to be their center. 

For their troubles, they get a huge hole at center where Superman used to be, and nothing else. 

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