Dwight Howard Will Sign with the Nets on July 1st If No Trade Is Made

According to Yahoo Sports, Orlando Magic Center, Dwight Howard will leave the team on July 1st if no trade is made by the March 15 deadline.

This should put a halt on trade talks involving bringing in a piece or two to the Magic to show they are willing to put a team together to try and win a NBA title.

The trades that have been discussed are multi-team deals that are very complicated and most likely will never see the light of day.

Yahoo's source close to the Howard situation stated:

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Dwight’s gone, and (Magic CEO) Alex Martins is the only person who doesn’t believe that,

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If this is indeed the case, Martins better wise up quick and get a trade for some valuable pieces for the Magic organization going forward, before the Magic are left high and dry like they were back in 1996, when Shquille O'Neal left the team to play with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski said in his report:

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"Magic general manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy have known Howard the longest. They know he will leave them and they want a deal done prior to Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

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This could come down to a battle between the owner's wishes to keep Howard and hope he decides to stay in Orlando and the wishes of the coach and GM of the Magic to get the best deal they can now, so they don't get stuck with nothing when this season is over.