NBA Trade Rumors: Pairing Monta Ellis with Dwight Howard is Pipe Dream for Magic

It's no secret that the Orlando Magic are desperate to get All-Star center Dwight Howard to sign a long-term contract extension. The best way to do that is likely to bring in some help at the deadline, but acquiring Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis simply isn't realistic.

According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, the Magic are pushing hard to work out a trade for Ellis, but the Warriors only have real interest in Howard. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise since many of Orlando's other key players like Ryan Anderson, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu are complementary pieces.

Ellis, on the other hand, is a bona fide star as he is among the league's leading scorers with 22.2 points per game, while pitching in nearly six helpers per contest as well. It would be silly for the Warriors to give up Ellis for anything less than Howard since none of the Magic's other players could have the same impact as Ellis does.

Broussard says that the Magic will try to explore a three- or four-team trade in order to acquire Ellis, but the more teams that enter the equation, the more difficult it becomes to get a deal done. It's admirable that Orlando is trying to do anything possible to impress Howard, but the Magic need to be a little more realistic.

The Warriors are obviously fixated on Howard and would be willing to deal for him without the guarantee of a contract extension. With their sights set that high, there is little chance of Orlando landing Ellis with a package of lesser players.

Rather than wasting their time with unrealistic trade talk, the Magic need to either pursue a long-term extension with Howard or begin shopping him around. It's starting to look like Orlando might be content to hold onto Howard for the remainder of the season without the guarantee of him re-signing.

It's fair to say that doing so is a very risky proposition. Howard has yet to show any signs of wanting to stay in Orlando, so it's difficult to understand why the Magic would take such a leap of faith. Howard essentially seems to be holding the Magic hostage by trying to dictate personnel moves despite that fact that he won't make a commitment to the organization.

If Orlando could find a way to get Ellis without moving Howard in the deal, then that trade obviously needs to be made. The Warriors aren't stupid, though, and they know full well that the Magic are desperate to get Howard a wing man. Because of that, they hold all the power in negotiations for Ellis and could demand a king's ransom.

Even if the Magic offered the best possible deal that doesn't involve Howard, though, it likely wouldn't be enough to get an offensive dynamo like Ellis. There is no question that what Orlando is trying to do makes sense, but it simply isn't going to happen.

The Magic likely need to put more talent around him in order to get Howard to stay, and there may be some trades out there that make sense, but Ellis just isn't attainable.