Dwight Howard Saga Guaranteed to Continue Next Season
Don't think for a moment that the Dwight Howard saga is dead. If anything, this puppy's just taking a siesta.
We know for certain that Howard won't be traded before the deadline thanks to a report from WFTV in Orlando.
What we don't know is whether or not the Orlando Magic will be able to do enough in the meantime to keep Howard from deciding next season to bang on the drum again for a trade.
NBA trades are notoriously difficult to pull off, and the Magic will have to do some major work to land one of the top names still out there on the block. Some of those names include Michael Beasley, Jamal Crawford and Pau Gasol
I'm betting on the Magic not getting anything done, which leaves them right back in the same situation with Howard next season.
Then there is the issue of an extension. Howard could have one by now, but he made the choice to let it lie. As a result he and the Magic will have many of the same conversations next summer that they've been having for the better part of a year now.
Howard's current contract keeps him with the Magic through 2012-13.
Howard says he wants to say in Orlando, but for how long? In an interview with The Orlando Sentinal following the team's latest win against the Miami Heat, Howard said:
"We're playing some pretty good basketball right now and we just have to keep it up. We got a great opportunity to win and I told them that I want to be here, and I want to bring a championship here. I told them to give me a chance.
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It's hard to take him too seriously here. After all, it wasn't long ago that Howard was singing a different tune.
I'm not the only one who is wondering how sincere this latest turn towards the Magic is from Howard. Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinal wrote a column, saying:
"…Howard wants his cake and eat it, too, with a side of ice cream. He wants to be in the playoffs now with Orlando — the Nets are going on an early vacation — and become a free agent. If I’m the Magic, I have to deal him for compensation if he’s not willing to commit.
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This isn't going away. No matter what Howard says publicly we know he's going to be looking for the opportunity to get what he wants again next year after missing out on getting traded this year. He knows it wasn't working out, no matter how hard the Magic tried to get a deal done.
He's playing nice because he has to. That's all. At least we can all forget about it for a little while.
