Dwight Howard Reportedly Won't Waive Opt-out Clause

It looks like we are back to square one with Dwight Howard.

After telling the team he is “all in” for the remainder of the season and the last year of his contract early on Wednesday, he has experienced a change of heart.

ESPN’s Marc Stein was first to report that Howard told Orlando management he will not be giving up the right to opt out of his deal this summer. A team official later confirmed, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

"

RT @NBAonESPN: Dwight Howard tells Magic in pre-game call he will NOT surrender opt-out clause (via @ESPNSteinLine) - es.pn/xpG3ss

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 15, 2012"

This puts GM Otis Smith and the rest of the front office in an extremely difficult position. CBS Sports Ken Berger explains:

"

By refusing to sign away leverage, Howard forces Magic to decide whether to keep him without firm commitment he'll stay beyond this season.

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) March 15, 2012"

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski spoke with sources connected to the situation and gave this generic response:

"

Magic source tells Y! "We're evaluating what we will do before 3 PM tomorrow," with disclosure that Dwight Howard will opt-out of deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 15, 2012"

That’s a likely answer from the Magic organization, but how about when speaking with other league executives about the situation?

"

Nevertheless, multiple league executives believe Magic's decision is now cemented that they'll trade Dwight Howard before Thursday deadline.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 15, 2012"

Howard wants to sign with a team in the offseason without them having to sacrifice a huge chunk of their assets like the New York Knicks did with Carmelo Anthony. Makes sense for him, but the Magic received nothing in return for Shaquille O’Neal back in the late '90s and don’t want to lose another franchise center without an ample return.

According to the ESPN report, he didn’t understand the ramifications of his decision when he spoke with his team earlier in the day:

"

When asked why Howard told several teammates and members of the organization earlier in the day that he had indeed decided not to opt out of his contract, the source insisted that Howard "didn't fully understand the ramifications" of surrendering his ETO and did so largely because Magic officials warned him that he would be traded by Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline if he did not take that step.

"It's unheard of for a player of Dwight's caliber to do so," one source close to the situation told ESPN.com.

"

We are beginning to get a sense of who the real Dwight Howard is. A guy that doesn’t understand the ramifications of his decisions despite having months to plan ahead. He is a person that tries to please everyone.

Now he has cranked up the pressure in the Magic front office to an unheard-of level. A trade before Thursday’s 3:00 p.m. ET deadline looks as likely as ever just hours after it appeared he was committed to the only team he has ever known.

This story is far from over and the clock is ticking.

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