NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Must Find GM Willing to Deal Disgruntled Dwight Howard

The Orlando Magic have yet to find a new general manager after parting ways with Otis Smith, but they have made one thing clear to any potential hires: they will need to trade Dwight Howard, immediately.

According to Brian K. Schmitz, Magic insider for the Orlando Sentinel, the organization is highly considering Jeff Bower and Dennis Lindsey for the vacant GM position.

Bower is a former GM of the New Orleans Hornets (2002-03 and 2005-10), while Lindsey is an up-and-coming assistant GM with the San Antonio Spurs.

Orlando front office executives are likely gauging which will be able to trade DH12 the quickest and then expedite the rebuilding process, which has been severely hindered by Dwight choosing to sign his player-option for the 2012-13 season but immediately regretting it and asking to be traded again.

Regardless of all the drama that surrounded him last season, Howard is a perennial first-team All-NBA player, Defensive Player of the Year contender and a true superstar in a league that only has a handful, and he will definitely have his suitors.

The Magic need to figure out which direction they want to go, which means they must flip Dwight and shed bad contracts (like Hedo Turkoglu’s $23.6 million over the next two seasons) in exchange for young, promising prospects and draft picks.

Or they could go another direction and attempt to bring in a legit star in exchange for Dwight, such as Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers. This would mean the team would still contend for the postseason in the East, but it’s unlikely they would ever win an NBA title.

Regardless of what the new GM decides to do, they are extremely fortunate that ownership is giving the blessing to trade the disgruntled center as soon as they take the wheel.

The last thing the GM will need is a huge distraction like Howard lingering around for their critical first few months on the job.