2012 NBA Trade Deadline: 10 Dwight Howard Scenarios

Dwight Howard should be thanking Jeremy Lin for keeping the media focused in New York instead of camped out next to his locker in Orlando. His situation is not an easy one to be in. He wants to win a championship more than anything, and part of him firmly believes that he will never be able to win one in Orlando.

The lack of talent surrounding him is good evidence to why this may be true. However, Dwight is not LeBron James. He does not want to leave the team that drafted him purely to increase his star power and make a super team. There are three possible outcomes for this situation: Dwight is traded, Dwight Stays, Dwight isn't traded but still leaves. There are eight teams that could trade for him and that he would be willing to be traded too. Most of those teams and few more would be willing and able to sign him should he become a free agent. 

D12 in the ATL

Dwight Howard has already stated that he would be willing to play in Atlanta. He is a good friend of Josh Smith and was born in the city of Atlanta. He would almost be pulling a reverse LeBron, instead of leaving the city where he was born to play with his friend, he would be heading home to try and bring a championship there with one of his closest friends in the Association. That thought has to be tempting to Howard. ESPN's Marc Stein also reported that in December, the Hawks were willing to trade for Dwight, even without the promise of a long term commitment. Clearly, this is a deal that is not only feasible but has already been discussed by both sides. 

Projected Trade

Atlanta Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Hedo Turkoglu, SF

Orlando Receives:

Joe Johnson, SG

Kirk Heinrich, G

Al Horford, C

Getting a fringe superstar in Joe Johnson and one of the best, young centers in the game in Al Horford would be enticing for the Magic. They also get to get out of Hedo Turkoglu's horrendous contract. It's a favorable option for them. The Hawks would be giving up a lot but they would not have to give up any additional draft picks in the trade. Jeff Teague would have to have a bigger role, but the front court of Dwight Howard and Josh Smith would be electric. Kirk Heinrich would be sent to Orlando purely to allow the financial figures to work out. In terms of number of players this deal is lacking, but in quality of players, it certainly trumps many other teams deals.   

Superman to the Celtics

The Celtics have never been on Dwight's list of teams he would agree to sign long term with, but you have to imagine that given the opportunity to play with Rajon Rondo in a major market like Boston would be appealing. The Celtics don't have a ton of trade assets but they do have expiring contracts, decent draft picks and a high caliber player with something still left in the tank in Paul Pierce. 

Projected Trade

Orlando Receives:

Paul Pierce, SF

Ray Allen, SG

Kevin Garnett, PF

Jajuan Johnson, F

E'Twuan Moore, G

Boston Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Hedo Turkoglu, SF

J.J. Reddick, SG

Quentin Richardson, SF

1st Round Draft Pick (from Los Angeles Clippers)

1st Round Draft Pick

Admittedly, the chances of this trade happening are slim. The Magic would be receiving over $31 million dollars in expiring contracts (Garnett, Allen) would would be appealing to them. Jajaun Johnson and E'Twuan Moore are also young pieces to build around going forward. Those two young players could then also be paired with the two first-round draft picks. They would also acquire Paul Pierce who has three years left on his contract and it is not prohibitive of signing another superstar to a max contract along side of him. Boston would be taking on a lot of money in Turkoglu, Reddick and Richardson (over $30 million for two years, $20 million for the third) but Reddick and Richardson would be decent benches players. However at best, they would be nothing more than complimentary to the explosive combination of Rondo and Howard. 

Man of Steel in the Windy City

The combination of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard will give every other team in the East nightmares. How often do the two best players of there position become teammates? The last time that happened was in L.A. with Kobe and Shaq in their respective primes. That seemed to work out ok.  

 Projected Trade

Orlando Receives:

Joakim Noah, C

Taj Gibson, F

Jimmy Butler, G

Luol Deng, SF 

1st Round Pick (from Charlotte; top ten protected)

1st Round Pick

Chicago Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Ryan Anderson, PF

Chicago would be giving up a lot in this deal. Every player they send south logs major minutes in the lineup. Tom Thibodeau likes using a lot of players that specialize defensively so it would be hard to let these guys go, but Dwight Howard will win defense player of the year. This is even more substantial considering he is currently surrounded with players who are, at best, mediocre defensively. The acquisition of both Ryan Anderson is also more valuable then just to make the numbers work. He is a good, young player who the Magic will be not willing to let go easily. The sheer number of talented players and quality of the draft picks will be enough to allow both Dwight and Ryan to head north.  

So Crazy It Just Might Work

Why not? There is no one single player of equal value that compares to Dwight Howard outside of LeBron James. He is quite literally the best value the Magic could receive in return for their franchise player. The chances of this trade ever going down are next to none but it has to make both teams think.

Projected Trade 

Orlando Receives:

Lebron James, SF

Miami Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Imagine a front court of Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard. Scary. They play perfectly contrasting styles. Chris Bosh does not have the strength of Dwight and plays a more outside, finesse game, while Dwight is a physical player who finishes strong and controls the paint. Combining that with Dwayne Wade would be lethal, and most likely a better team than one with LeBron. Being able to bring Joel Anthony off the bench and simply having that much depth and talent in the front court would be unrivaled by any other team across the league. Orlando obviously won't be a much better team then they are now, but any time you have the chance to add LeBron James, you take it. He is simply the best value you can get for any player in the league right now. 

Superman in Metropolis: Part 1

Carmelo Anthony does not work in Mike D'Antoni's offense. The Knicks fell for Carmelo's star-power and traded the whole farm for a player who does not work in their coach's system. Its time to correct that. I would never say that Carmelo Anthony is not a talented player, his clutch shooting and overall ability to score is elite, but New York is not the best place for him to play. Dwight Howard in the biggest city in the world would be amazing. His ability to finish strong in the paint would blow the roof off the Garden on a nightly basis. 

Projected Trade 

Orlando Receives:

Carmelo Anthony, SF

Tyson Chandler, PF

New York Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Hedo Turkoglu, SF

The Magic's owner Richard Devos is 85 years old. He does not want to wait to rebuild the team. He wants to win soon. A superstar like Carmelo Anthony may give him the best chance to do that. Carmelo in a system tailored for him may allow him to be the elite player that the Knicks were hoping he would be in New York. Tyson Chandler is also a high-quality, high-character player that would help to make up for some of what Dwight Howard would be leaving with. They would also be able to get rid of Turkoglu's contract which is a definite plus. Obviously for the Knicks, this would give a dynamic front court of Amare and Dwight. Jeremy Lin's meteoric rise also helps as he is perfect for D'Antoni's system and would be able to facilitate Dwight and Amare. J.R. Smith could take over for Carmelo as the Knick who feels obligated to take too many shots. Amare, despite being a native of Orlando, does not deserve to be traded. He is the player who brought New York back into the spotlight in the summer of 2010 when he decided to sign there without waiting to see what LeBron and the other mega-stars were going to do. The Knicks owe it to him to keep him in New York.

Superman in Metropolis: Part 2

This is the trade that's been longest rumored, longest discussed and may be the most logical landing spot for Dwight. Next year, the Nets move to Brooklyn and escape the stigma of New Jersey for the bright lights of New York. The Nets have a lot to offer but none of it would make the Magic contenders this year, or maybe even next for that matter. For the Nets, this is an obvious choice. Pairing Dwight with Deron Williams would be a great move both on and off the court. They would have two superstars for their move to the big city next year and acquiring both players would give both of them incentive to stay for beyond 2012. 

Projected Trade

Orlando Receives:

Mehmet Okur, C

MarShon Brooks, SG

Brook Lopez, C

2012 1st Round Draft Pick

2012 1st Round Draft Pick (from Houston; top 14 protected)

2012 2nd Round Draft Pick (from Miami)

2014 1st Round Draft Pick

New Jersey Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Of all the teams in the running for Dwight Howard, none are as desperate as the New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets. If the Nets do not acquire Dwight Howard, Deron Williams will leave. They need a superstar heading into next year in order to attract fans early on in Brooklyn. If they trade for Dwight, they get two superstars. If they don't trade for Dwight, they will have zero superstars. They absolutely have to acquire him, which is why the Magic can squeeze every drop from them. Three first-round picks in addition to two young players with a ton of potential is one of the better deals out there. The only thing holding this trade from going through is the Magic's Owner Richard Devos aforementioned desire to win sooner rather than later. However, should the Magic decide to rebuild or that no other offer can contend with this one, then the Nets might just get lucky. 

Man of Steel in the Golden State

Unfortunately, there isn't a picture of Dwight wearing a Golden State uni for this slide, which is a shame because Golden State has some of the best jerseys in the league. Hopefully that will be a selling point with Dwight if they can acquire him, because as of now Dwight has not said he would commit to a  long term deal with the Warriors. They would be giving up a lot to rent him for the rest of this year and hope to convince him to resign for the future.

Projected Trade

Orlando Receives:

Monta Ellis, SG

Andris Biedrins, C

Ekpe Udoh, PF

Klay Thompson, G

Golden State Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Hedo Turkoglu, SF

Golden State would be in a win/win situation if they acquire Dwight Howard. If he stays beyond this season, obviously that's good. But should Dwight choose to leave, Golden State is able to get out of a number of contracts that may be restricting for them to find players to help Stephen Curry. Monta Ellis makes $11 Million, Andris Biedrins makes $9 million, and Ekpe Udoh makes $3.2 million each year for the next three years. Ellis is a great player and could excel in Orlando being the primary ball handler, but the back court of Golden State belongs to Curry. Getting rid of these contracts would either allow them to resign Dwight to a long term deal or to rebuild around Curry should Dwight choose to leave.  Beidrins and Udoh also make the same as Hedo Turkoglu but are much more talented. Golden State would be in a position unable to lose, and Orlando would get an elite scorer in Monta Ellis and a solid young talent in Klay Thompson.  

Its Deja Vu All over Again

Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to join Kobe Bryant and become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. Dwight Howard might just leave the Orlando Magic to join Kobe Bryant and become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. The more time changes the more it stays the same. While the Magic and its fans would be devastated to lose the face of their franchise and fan favorite, the Lakers have assets that could help to soothe that pain. 

Projected Trade

Orlando Receives:

Andrew Bynum, C

Paul Gasol, PF

2012 First Round Pick (From Dallas)

Los Angeles Receives:

Dwight Howard, C

Ryan Anderson, PF

Hedo Turkoglu, SF

The Lakers have previously stated that they have no intention of trading both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, but in order to improve their talent over the next few years, they might have to. Ryan Anderson is not as good as Pau Gasol but he is very good and considerably younger at only 23 compared to Pau Gasol who is 31. The Lakers are an old team with their starting line up averaging almost 32 years old. This trade alone would make them down to 29 years old and a trade for a point guard (a move is absolutely needed) would make them even younger. Kobe Bryant is still talented and a top 5 (if not higher) player in the league, but he needs young bodies around him in order to make up for his athleticism which will continue to decline. Ryan Anderson is a better outside scorer than Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard is a better center than Andrew Bynum. The Lakers would be able to get younger and more talented with this trade.

They would be taking on an additional contract at small forward (Turkoglu, World-Peace, Walton) but it would be necessary in order to facilitate a trade. The Lakers traded Lamar Odom to Dallas purely to gain another asset use in a trade for Chris Paul/Dwight Howard and they would have little hesitation in sending it to Orlando. From the point of view of the Magic, they would be acquiring two dominate big men that could help them contend this year. Would it be enough to put them in the finals? No, but that certainly will not be much worse this year and having Gasol and Bynum on the team in addition to not having Turkoglu's contract would be a great place to start building

The Magic Continues

Dwight Howard is loved and adored in Orlando. He's the face of a franchise and his first option would be to not leave Orlando. The Magic are trying to do everything they can to not lose their franchise player following this season. Steve Nash and Monta Ellis would be solid players to pair with Dwight for contrasting reasons. 

Steve Nash is a facilitator. He is far and way the best in the league at making his supporting cast look light-years better than they actually are. Nash is currently carrying the pathetic Phoenix Suns, and in the process Marcin Gortat is having a great season. If Steve Nash can make Marcin Gortat look good, imagine what the man can do with Dwight Howard? Currently starting for the Magic at point guard is Jameer Nelson, who is not a bad player, but is not in the same league as Steve Nash.  

Monta Ellis is a scorer. Plain and simple. The man loves to put the ball through the hoop more than anything else. While this may worry some as it might take away from Dwight's opportunities (See Amare Stoudemire after the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony) but Monta Ellis has managed to steadily increase his assist numbers over his career. The current Magic SG is J.J. Reddick with Jason Richardson coming off the bench. Monta Ellis would be an extreme improvement over both. 

Though decidedly less possible, there are other moves the Magic could make. The Celtics are looking to make a move and that might mean Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce would be available. Rondo is one of the best young point guards in the league and would certainly help to improve Howard's game. Pierce would also be an upgrade over Turkoglu or Quentin Richardson. Similarly, should the Nets realize they no longer have an opportunity to acquire Dwight, they may be willing to trade Deron Williams to Orlando in order to prevent them from losing him for nothing at the end of the season. 

Whether or not the Magic have the pieces to make those deals happen remains to be seen, but something needs to be done in order to see Dwight in a Magic uniform this time next year. 

Dwight Makes a Decision to Be Like LeBron

The Magic might make a move before this trade deadline to help Dwight or they might do nothing and hope to make a move at the end of the season. The most likely outcome of this situation is that the Magic keep Dwight Howard through the end of this year, hoping to resign him. However, the most likely outcome of Dwight hitting free agency would be his departure from Orlando. 

Dallas has been using this season to dump salary and do what ever it takes so when the free agency period comes this summer, they will be able to pair both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams with Dirk Nowitzki to form their own Big Three. Deron Williams is probably already looking for homes in the Dallas area and will be signing there, at first opportunity as long as the Nets do not acquire Dwight Howard. Mark Cuban wants both Deron and Dwight, and he has a good chance of doing so as long as neither is traded this season. 

The Nets would still be contenders for Dwight in the free agency market. This is actually the preferred way for them to acquire them as it would allow them to keep a high draft pick for their awful play this season, as well as keeping MarShon Brooks and maybe being able to trade Brook Lopez for another quality player. Should the Nets be able to sign Dwight Howard, retain Deron Williams, keep MarShon Brooks and trade Brook Lopez for a quality Small Forward, they would have a formidable lineup for their move to Brooklyn.

Boston would be another contender to sign Howard. They will be finished with the contracts of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal at the end of this season, which should give them enough cap space to sign Dwight. They would be able to roll out a starting line up of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Dwight Howard and attempt to either re-sign Garnett and Allen to lower contracts or start Brandon Bass and sign another free agent shooting guard. 

The last team that would be able to sign Dwight Howard, if he hits the free agent market, would be the Los Angeles Lakers. Dwight has said he would not sign an extension with the Lakers if he is traded there, so the chances of him signing outright appear to be slim. However, if your Kobe Bryant, the possibility of having both Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum on your team has to be tempting. The Lakers would then be able to turn around and trade Gasol for a quality point guard or small forward. Boston (Rondo, Pierce), Houston (Martin, Scola) are just a few teams that would be surely interested in the All-Star Power Forward. Those roster moves would make the Lakers a team that would rival even the Miami Heat.