Dwight Howard Rumors: D12 Reportedly Set to Commit to Magic for One More Season

Early on Wednesday, reports came out that Dwight Howard had decided to stay with the Orlando Magic beyond the rest of the 2011-2012 season.

According to a report from WFTV in Orlando, Howard informed the team on Wednesday that he wanted to stay in Orlando for the 2012-13 season. He has the option of opting out of his contract after this season, but Howard said he would not do that so long as the team doesn't trade him.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com was able to confirm Howard's decision:

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#Magic officials have been told that Dwight Howard informed teammates he won't opt out of contract in July, league source tell @CBSSports.

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) March 14, 2012"

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports initially reported that at least a couple Magic players hadn't heard anything from Howard:

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Three Magic players tell Y! Sports (2 to @SpearsNBAYahoo) and one to me that Dwight Howard did not tell them he was opting in for next year.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 14, 2012"

Wojnarowski later reported that Howard did tell some teammates that he is planning on sticking around beyond this season:

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After broader team meeting today, Dwight Howard had lunch with 3 teammates and told them he planned to opt-in for '12-13 season, source says

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 14, 2012"

Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD claimed Howard had already informed Magic CEO Alex Martins of his decision:

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Regardless of what Dwight Howard said during meeting with teammates, source close to Howard said he informed Alex Martins that he'll opt-in.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) March 14, 2012"

However, Marc Stein of ESPN reported on Wednesday night that Howard has informed the Magic that he will not be giving up his early termination option. When asked why he had told teammates and other members of the organization that he would be opting in for 2012-2013, Howard apparently said that he "didn't fully understand the ramifications" of surrendering his early termination option.

The NBA's trade deadline comes and goes at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.

What It Means

If the initial reports are true, then Howard has given the Magic exactly the answer they wanted.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chris Broussard of ESPN reported that the Magic were "closer than ever" to trading Howard, and that they were ready to trade Howard unless he committed to the team beyond the rest of the 2011-12 season.

The Magic were annoyed with Howard for publicly saying that he wanted to finish the season in Orlando after Tuesday night's overtime victory against the Miami Heat. They viewed his comments as an attempt to manipulate his situation.

What Happens Next

If Howard has indeed committed to the Magic for the 2012-13 season, he's not going to be traded ahead of Thursday's deadline.

But that doesn't mean the drama is over altogether. The Magic still have to worry about getting Howard to agree to an extension, and still have to worry about building a championship-caliber team around him. Given their resources, that's easier said than done.

If the Magic are unable to improve their roster, they can always consider trading Howard next season.