Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Why the Chicago Bulls Are the Best Fit

The NBA trade deadline is coming up and we are still sitting here wondering: When will the Orlando Magic wake up and deal Dwight Howard to recoup some value before he leaves in free agency this summer? 

When they do, the Chicago Bulls are still the ideal fit. 

Dropping out of politically correct speech, the truth is that Orlando’s position is completely ridiculous.  This is not a will he/won’t he LeBron James-like situation because Howard already told them he plans to leave after the end of the season. He even provided the Magic a list of teams he is interested in signing with long term. 

So, Orlando has no incentive to hold on to him in the hope that he will somehow stay because he needs the extra $8 million or so in cash that the Magic can offer him over the first five years of the deal.  It’s time to drop that illogical position and move forward.

Once Orlando comes to that inevitable conclusion (unless pure delusion takes hold), where should they ship Howard?  The Magic center’s list of teams before the season included the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets.

All three teams could make a run at Howard before the deadline, but none of their deals would be particularly compelling and not one of them is an ideal fit.

The Lakers are creeping back into the NBA’s elite but how long will that last?  Kobe Bryant is 35 and his days as an elite player are numbered.  To get Howard, the Lakers would need to deal Andrew Bynum with all their (not particularly compelling) young assets, so that would not leave Howard much to work with on the court over the life of his contract. 

In three years, barely halfway through his next contract, Howard would be playing without either Bryant or Pau Gasol.  Hardly a perfect fit.

The Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets are apparently Howard's favorites, but neither is as compelling as it looks at first glance. 

If the Nets trade for Howard, they will need to surrender Brook Lopez and Marshon Brooks and take back bad contracts.  Can Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and a pile of trash win an NBA title?  I have my doubts. 

Plus, since the Nets would have no draft picks (traded either in the Deron Williams deal from last year or their imaginary Howard deal) and very little cap space, their ability to improve the roster would be severely limited.

For their part, the Mavericks appeal to Howard but they have an aging roster and will have limited money open this summer.  They won’t be able to offer both Howard and Deron Williams max contracts so would either player take less to play when it comes down to it?  Perhaps, but that is a risky bet. 

Then we come to the Bulls.  Chicago is the best team in the NBA right now, but adding Howard would make great sense under the right circumstances. 

The Bulls could offer young talent to the rebuilding Magic by trading Joakim Noah,  Taj Gibson, the rights to Nikola Mirotic (the best young power forward in Europe and a future NBA star), the Charlotte Bobcats’ future high draft pick from the Tyrus Thomas trade and their own picks in 2012 and 2014. 

Chicago could slide Howard right in without missing a beat.  As long as the Bulls don’t trade Luol Deng, a Howard deal makes sense for Chicago, providing of course that Howard realizes it’s a perfect landing spot and signs an extension. 

So Chicago is a perfect fit for the Bulls, Magic and Howard.  But will all three wake up in the next week and make it happen?  We’ll have to wait and see.