Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Did Adidas Bonus Play Role in D12 Trade Talk?

The Orlando Magic appear to have called Dwight Howard's bluff, with the X-factor in the whole thing possibly being his contract with Adidas. 

According to J.A. Adande of ESPN.com, the Magic took control of this trade situation by "threatening" to send Howard to New Jersey before the trade deadline hits at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday. This would move him from the No. 4 team in the Eastern Conference to the No. 12 team, and that would cost him cash from his shoe contract.

"

The Magic forced a resolution by calling Howard on his season-long signals of yearning to make his future home with the Nets by threatening to send him there right away…and letting him watch the playoffs from home...And a league source said that missing out on the playoffs would cost Howard significant bonuses from his Adidas contract.  

"

That is just the tip of the iceberg on this whole story. Howard has no idea what he wants to do, and he is holding up an entire franchise in the process. 

As petty as this scenario sounds, given Howard's flare for the dramatic and clearly wanting to do what is in the best interest of himself, it is completely reasonable to accept that one of the reasons he wants to stay with the Magic is because of a sponsorship deal with a shoe company. 

Good for the Magic for calling Howard out on his demands. They are the losers in this whole situation. The front office has bent over backwards to make sure he stays with the team for the rest of his career, but he is causing nothing but headaches. 

Even now, Howard says he wants to stay but won't sign the papers to waive his opt-out clause for next year.

Then, Chris Broussard goes on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" early Thursday to say Howard was prepared to sign the papers after last night's game against San Antonio, but the team told him to sleep on it before making a decision. 

Now, there are reports that he is, in fact, going to opt-in with the Magic next season. This thing has more twists and turns than an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but not in a good way. 

If a sponsorship deal is the only reason that Howard wants to stay in Orlando for the rest of this season, the team should do whatever it can to move him. 

Howard is turning into a bigger diva than Terrell Owens, which is not what he wants to be doing. He wants to be loved by everyone, even though he can't make up his mind on what he wants to do. 

Money is the root of all evil, and it sounds like it could very well be a driving force behind Howard's motivation to stay with the Magic the rest of this season. 

Follow @adamwells1985