NBA Trade Scenarios: The Top 11 Dwight Howard Trades the Magic Can Make

Dwight Howard needs to go ... now!

Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVoss Sr. is 86 years old and wants a championship. The only way DeVoss Sr. is going to be wearing an NBA title ring anytime soon is if the Magic part ways with their indecisive Superman, period.

Dwight Howard has changed his mind about whether he wants to play in Orlando more times than a Ron Artest changes personalities. It's time for the Magic to move on, do what's best for the franchise instead of their immature superstar, and trade Howard for the best package they can get before the season starts, the drama starts and their asset starts to depreciate.

Richard DeVoss Sr. owns the Magic and needs to take ownership of the Howard drama. He does not need a coach in place. He does not need a general manager in place. He doesn't even need a legend like Phil Jackson. DeVoss Sr. simply needs to make it known that Howard is done playing for the Orlando Magic and that he will be traded to the highest bidder, period. Devoss Sr. can start the bidding war himself, immediately.

All of the above said, below are the top 11 trade packages the Magic could realistically hope to receive if they truly put Dwight Howard on the market:

Magic trade Howard, Jason Richardson and Quentin Richardson to the Heat for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh

Others have speculated that the Heat may offer Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh for Dwight Howard if they fail to win the NBA title this season. However, the simple fact is that neither Wade nor Bosh is worth Howard straight up. If the Magic are going to trade the face of their franchise to their state rival, they must receive both Wade and Bosh, period.

The above trade is the single best trade the Magic can make and one I believe the Heat would seriously consider agreeing to, especially if the Thunder beat them in the NBA Finals as I expect they will.

 

Magic trade Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis, Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson to the Knicks for Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Toney Douglas and Jerome Jordan

Outside of the first proposed Heat trade, the Magic simply cannot do any better from a talent perspective that being able to acquire the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler and star power forward Amare Stoudemire for Howard. Being able to also dump the horrible contracts of Turkoglu, Duhon and Richardson along with the lengthy contract of Big Baby Davis and receive the extremely inexpensive contracts of young Toney Douglas and Jerome Jordan is mere icing on the cake!

Magic trade Howard, Duhon and Quentin Richardson to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga

The above is perhaps the most likely to happen deal out of the eleven listed. The Lakers may be high on Andrew Bynum's future but are not insane enough to truly believe he gives them a better chance to win a title next year. The Magic could do far worse than trading the top center in the league for the second best center in the league, who happens to be two years younger. Swapping the bad contracts of Duhon and Richardson for the inexpensive and short-term contracts of McRoberts and Eyenga is also a bonus for Orlando.

Magic trade Howard and Quentin Richardson to the Hawks for Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia and the #23 pick

Dwight Howard is the best center on the planet without doubt. However, Al Horford may indeed be a top three center in the league when fully healthy. Such being the case, trading Howard with the bad contract of Quentin Richardson and receiving the younger Horford, quality backup center Pachulia and the 23rd pick in the draft is a solid deal for the Magic.

Magic trade Howard and Turkoglu to the Wizards for Rashard Lewis, Kevin Seraphin and the No. 2 pick

If the Magic decide they want to build around a new young stud, they could certainly do worse than saving over $17 million by swapping the Howard and Turkoglu duo for the Wizards Lewis and Seraphin duo and acquiring the second pick in the draft to use on Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson.

Magic trade Howard, Duhon, Quentin Richardson and the No. 19 pick to the Grizzlies for Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol

While losing the No. 19 pick in the draft may not be ideal for Orlando, acquiring the Grizzlies duo of Gay and Gasol is more than worth it. This is one trade that immediately makes the Magic a better team with a brighter future than what they currently have with Howard.

Magic trade Howard to the Rockets for Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin and the No. 14 and No. 16 picks

Bill Ingram recently reported in his Hoops World article that the Rockets have no desire to keep either of their two first round draft picks and are looking to trade them for a star player. Dwight Howard could be that star player. The Magic may not be receiving a superstar player in this trade but they are receiving a massive amount of talent. Lowry and Martin would instantly give Orlando one of the best back-courts in the East and the No. 14 and 16 picks could easily be packaged with their own No. 19 pick to move up in the draft to select the new face of the franchise, such as Dwight Howard clone Andre Drummond.

Magic trade Howard and Turkoglu to the Timberwolves for Nikola Pekovic, Derrick Williams, Wes Johnson and the expiring contracts of Martell Webster and Brad Miller

The above trade would be a Godsend for the Magic franchise. Pekovic has perennial All-Star written all over him while Williams has the makings of a future star. Dumping the horrid contract of Turkoglu for the expiring contracts of Webster and Miller, while also adding promising young swing-man Johnson is a no-brainer swap as well. Simply put, this is close to a perfect deal for the Magic.

Magic trade Howard and Turkoglu to the Jazz for Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap

This trade makes perfect and I do mean perfect sense for both teams. The Jazz could actually use a two big men for one big man swap in order to free up much needed playing time for both Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. The Magic should be thrilled to trade their superstar big man for two young star big men as well. There really is nothing to dislike about this trade whatsoever.

Magic trade Howard, Duhon and Quentin Richardson to the Spurs for Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter

The above trade would give the Magic a great return on their investment, no doubt about that. Parker and Ginobili, who could step right into his sixth man role with the Magic, playing behind starter Jason Richardson would give Orlando perhaps the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference immediately. Tiago Splitter is also a fabulous young true center that adds great value to this package.

Magic trade Howard and Turkoglu to the Warriors for Andrew Bogut and David Lee

This final trade is much like the proposed trade between the Magic and the Utah Jazz. A simple two for one swap would improve the Magic, yet make perfect sense for their trading partner as well. I personally believe this trade is far less likely than the Jazz trade. This is due to the fact that while both the Jazz and Warriors would be afraid Howard would not sign long-term extensions with them, the Warriors don't have two young studs waiting in the wings, ready to gobble up extra minutes in the post the way their Jazz do in the aforementioned Favors and Kanter.

Whichever of the above 11 trade proposals the Magic decide to focus on, and no worries Mr. DeVoss Sr., I won't charge a consultancy fee. I believe it is a no-brainer decision that they must trade Dwight Howard as soon as possible.