NBA Trade Deadline 2012: Why Dwight Howard Is More Likely to Stay Put

We are currently a few days away from the NBA Trade Deadline on March 15th, and Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard continues to be the center of attention in the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls, the New Jersey Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder have all been mentioned in the chase for the NBA's best center, but these may only be rumors when it's all said and done.

As we all know, the deciding factor of Dwight's future remains his willingness to stay with the Magic. At this point, Dwight Howard has not yet made up his mind on where he will play next year, which is causing the situation on hand.

For the Magic, it is clear that there aren't ready to unload their superstar just yet and may be willing to take their chances if no attractive deals are offered, as mentioned by Ken Berger in an article by CBSSports. He states that the Magic want to keep him for the rest of the season in hopes that a successful playoff run and the new contract will convince him to stay.

Moreover, of the three teams that Dwight Howard would like to be in—the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey Nets—none appear to have a strong and attractive offer that the Magic would like in return. And even if teams like Chicago are willing to offer an attractive deal, Dwight's unwillingness to sign a long-term contract will only make such trade talks vanish.

Unless teams are willing to give up enough assets even just for the rental of Dwight Howard, or if Dwight openly states his departure this coming offseason, a trade that will shake up the NBA is unlikely to happen by Thursday.