Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: D-12 Must Stop Waffling And Make Intentions Clear

One wonders if Dwight Howard is a fan of The Clash. It would certainly appear that the star center has been debating whether he should stay or go as the trade deadline approaches.

And frankly, the Orlando Magic deserve to know what his answer is. At least publicly, his desires remain somewhat unclear. From Josh Robbins of the Boston Herald:

"

Asked whether team officials could make a roster move that could sway him into deciding to stay, Howard responded, "We’ll have to see."

Magic Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins has spoken with Howard to gauge what Howard intends to do. Martins has said that he and Howard have agreed not to divulge any details about what they have discussed.

"

If Howard has no desire to remain in Orlando, he needs to let the team know that definitively so they can trade him and get some assets in return.

If he wants to stay (or is conditionally willing to stay), things are trickier. For one, he needs to let the Magic know exactly what it would take for him to stay. He's already mentioned players he would like to tandem with such as Deron Williams, Monta Ellis, etc.

He also needs to give Orlando the opportunity to rebuild around him, which means he should exercise his 2013 option and remain with the team for one more season to allow them some time to bring in new pieces.

With the dreadful contract of Hedo Turkoglu and a limited amount of viable trade chips, it seems unlikely the Magic will be able to bring in a player like Ellis without a ton of creativity and an additional team or two to make a trade with the Golden State Warriors work.

Plus, there is always the possibility that the team could sign Deron Williams in the offseason if they knew Howard would return for another season.

One way or another, Howard should make extremely clear his intentions. Stay or go, Orlando deserves to know.

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