Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Magic Continue Playing Risky Game by Not Moving D-12

For those of you pining for the Dwight Howard Trade Saga to end, don't hold your breath—the Orlando Magic are going to do everything in their power to keep him.

We get the latest from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

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Several teams believe the Magic won’t trade Howard, and that’s why those teams won’t bother getting involved in talks with them. The New York Knicks refuse to engage the Magic, if simply because they don’t want players like Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler affected by talks that organization officials privately believe would go nowhere anyway.

Yes, the Nets are still Howard’s desired destination, but GM Billy King still hasn’t had a substantive conversation with Smith lately. Orlando has made it clear to everyone that it’s a buyer to find help for Howard, not a seller. Yet, most teams believe the Magic will eventually realize they simply don’t have the assets to bring back a significant player to join Howard. Several executives insist forward Ryan Anderson has the most value to teams, and the Magic are determined to re-sign him to a long-term deal.

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So basically, Orlando is unwilling to trade their two most movable assets. Talk about being hard to work with.

At some point, the team is going to have to blink on some front or they will severely regret their own stubbornness. The way I see it, the Magic have three options.

1. If Howard tells the team he won't make a commitment to staying even if they bring in another star to pair with him, you deal him and get what you can in return. No reason to lose him for nothing, right?

2. Trade for a player Howard wants to play with to make Orlando an attractive place to remain. If you have to trade Ryan Anderson to accomplish this goal, you freaking do it.

3. If your limited assets make it impossible for you to trade for another star but Howard insists he is  seriously considering returning to Orlando anyway, you take your chances. Players like Howard don't grow on trees, and the best you can do at this point is hope he doesn't burn the organization.

Every option has its risks. The team won't get anywhere near market value in a trade given that Howard will probably only sign an extension with the Dallas Mavericks or New Jersey Nets at this point.

And how many players are out there that would keep Howard excited about remaining in a Magic uniform?

More and more, it looks like Howard will remain a member of the Magic past the trade deadline.

And while nobody will ever be so stupid as to put on a spectacle like "The Decision" again, Howard will command the attention of every NBA fan and organization when he makes a decision on where to play next season.

And if it isn't Orlando, well, that's the dangerous game they've decided to play in retaining him.

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