Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Why Magic Ownership Is to Blame for Superman Drama

The Dwight Howard saga took another unexpected twist.  After being the subject of trade rumors since the start of the season, ESPN's Michael Wallace is reporting that the Orlando Magic's All-Star center has told team owner Rich DeVos that he wishes to remain with the team for the remainder of the season, once again leaving open the possibility that he could re-sign with them when he hits free agency this summer.

I hate to say it, but I've lost a lot of respect tor the Magic's front office throughout all of the drama surrounding Howard.  First off, GM Otis Smith must receive some blame for bringing in expensive, aging veterans as a "supporting cast" (i.e. Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas) when in reality, he should have spent the team's budget on younger, cheaper players so that he could save as much money as possible to extend Howard.

In fact, the moment it became known Smith was talking with the Washington Wizards about acquiring Arenas, DeVos should have stepped in and put the kibosh on such a deal.  Sure, it meant getting rid of Rashard Lewis' awful contract, but the point of unloading that wasn't to get another awful contract in return.  The same could be said for reacquiring Hedo Turkoglu.

That all being said, it's time for DeVos to do something he should have done years ago: Take a stand and not let his GM nor his star player run the show.  Sure, Dwight Howard wants to stay for the remainder of the season, but let's not forget a little report that slipped out yesterday.  According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Howard's master plan is to sign with the Brooklyn Nets no matter how the Magic finish out their season and subsequent postseason.

Thus, rather than roll the dice on winning a championship this year and hoping Howard will re-sign, team ownership needs to cut its losses and deal its All-Star center and at least get some talent and draft picks in return.  He's an A-list player with a high price tag, and given the teams out there that need help at center, there will be offers aplenty.

It may seem like a harsh approach to the situation, but last I checked, professional sports franchises were businesses with executives and employees.  Simply put, Howard is an employee who thinks he is an executive, and for the past few years, the DeVos family has allowed him and Otis Smith to walk all over them and turn the Orlando Magic into an underachieving one-trick pony.

This time, however, it's time for the shoe to be on the other foot and for Howard to be put in his place.  It's time for him to leave Orlando, and not on his terms.