Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Monta Ellis Could Entice D12 to Stay with Magic

The Orlando Magic have some serious work to do if they hope to entice Dwight Howard to stay with the team long-term.

Despite Howard's recent trade demands, the Magic are still clinging to the belief that they can somehow do enough to convince him not to leave.

The latest reports are that the Magic are desperately trying to placate Howard by bringing in a difference-maker who could help the team keep pace with Miami and Boston in the Eastern Conference.

Ken Berger of cbssports.com is reporting that the Magic are trying to land Monta Ellis in a three-way trade with the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks that would also send Andrew Bogut to the Warriors.

He says the biggest hold-up to getting this deal done is that nobody knows whether Howard is willing to stay in Orlando beyond this year.

In my opinion, that is like trying to hatch a chick without having an egg.

The Magic need to make this deal happen in order to convince Howard that they are committed to bringing in complementary pieces to surround him. 

Jason Richardson and J.J. Reddick haven't been able to consistently give the Magic enough firepower at the shooting guard position.

Ellis is scoring just under 22 points per game for the Warriors, and his ability to shoot the mid-range jumper is exactly what the Magic need to get their offense going.

Bringing him in would be a sure signal from the Magic to Howard that they are committed to building a contender.

The Magic don't have any more time to be timid here. They need to pull the trigger or risk seeing Howard go the way of Shaquille O'Neil, who left the team in 1996.

The clock is ticking.

It's time to be bold.

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