NBA Trade Rumors: Orlando Magic Must Trade Howard Now to End Fiasco for Good

The National Basketball Association has never seen a star player change their mind more than Dwight Howard has over the last year. Just when you thought we had been granted a reprieve from the circus act that has become Howard's indecisiveness whether to stay in Orlando or leave for greener pastures, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year flip-flopped yet again.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

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"Howard regrets forgoing his early termination option on his 2012-13 contract, sources said, and wants a trade before next season."

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First of all, let's address just how ridiculous Howard has been over the course of this never-ending saga. In the middle of the season, he wanted out of Orlando and seemed 100 percent sure of that. Then, two hours before the NBA trade deadline, he decided that he was going to waive his opt-out clause and commit to the organization for the 2012-2013 season.

Rumors circulated that he wanted his coach fired. Then some more rumors that he wouldn't play for Stan Van Gundy. Then when he got fired, Howard said he had nothing to do with it. Whatever the truth may be, it's not going to come out anytime soon. When the buzz surrounding a team involves one player more than the team itself—and that buzz isn't positive—that's an indication that it's time to move that player.

There must be this sentiment in the Magic front office that Howard will eventually come to his senses and realize that Orlando is really the only place he belongs. There's no other explanation for their refusal to trade him after countless requests and temper tantrums. They shouldn't have even let him waive his opt-out clause because he clearly doesn't want to be there.

It was obvious that he was emotionally detached from the team he played with this season. He didn't look like he wanted to be there and it's dumbfounding how he put up the numbers he did. But that's because he's so physically superior to everyone else and you know what you're going to get out of him every night—at least 20 and 10—no matter how bad he wants to leave.

Yes, he's been a dominant force in the paint since he was drafted in 2004. Yes, he's averaged a double-double every year of his career. And, yes, he's a nightmare for opposing coaches to game plan for.

But he's not worth this fiasco. It's not worth it to keep a cancerous player on your team, even if he is the most dominant big man in the league. It's bad for his teammates, it's bad for the fans, it's bad for the overall environment and it's definitely bad for the coach (see Van Gundy's firing as evidence).

No sane human being is going to want to step into this firestorm of chaos that Howard has created. Other than Patrick Ewing, who recently interviewed for the position, there might not be anyone out there who wants to coach this team. That is, unless the Magic get rid of "Superman." 

That's why the team needs to trade him immediately to put a stop to this. The Magic may have been hoping for the Nets to land the No. 1 pick to set up a potential swap of Anthony Davis for D12, but since the Nets no longer have a pick in the Lottery, that's no longer an option. While it's possible the Nets can put a package together attractive enough to do business with Orlando, the execution of that becomes harder without a Top 5 pick. 

What they should do is trade Howard as soon as possible, because they're going to get quality pieces in return for him no matter where he's sent. It might be a little while before they go anywhere without him, but they're certainly not going anywhere with him.