Dwight Howard Rumors: Breaking Down the Latest News Surrounding Star Center

The Orlando Magic may have changed their front-office staff and head coach, but that doesn't mean they've changed Dwight Howard's mind about staying with the team for the long-term.

Despite a face-to-face meeting between Howard and new general manager Rob Hennigan, ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that the two sides still don't have a future together:

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Dwight Howard met with new Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan on Friday and told him he wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

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The ever-pouty Howard still appears to be turned off by the premise of going to a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors—all of whom have shown interest in the superstar at some point.

However, there's a problem with Howard's preferred scenario.

The Orlando Magic aren't especially interested in what Brooklyn has to offer, according to David Aldridge:

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Despite Dwight Howard's desire to go to Brooklyn, there's currently no Nets deal that interests Orlando, according to source. Story up soon.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 2, 2012"

Meanwhile, it's hard to imagine the Magic sitting on their hands and letting their franchise player walk away for nothing.

That means the organization will either attempt to squeeze a little bit more out of the Nets or look for the best offer among teams willing to "rent" Howard on a one-year basis. In that event, the fickle star would likely become a free agent next summer.

Good luck signing on with the Nets at the rate they're adding salaries to the mix.

Howard isn't the only one running out of options, though. His stubbornness has hurt Orlando's market as well.

According to NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper, the Golden State Warriors are already out of the running:

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“I doubt it,” [owner Joe] Lacob told NBA.com at the gathering to introduce rookies Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green. “I never say never. But we have somebody called Andrew Bogut. He is, in our opinion, one of the three best centers in the whole NBA, and in most people’s opinion. And he wants to be here and is a great fit. We think we have a really nice nucleus now going forward.”

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That may leave the Los Angeles Lakers as the best alternative Hennigan has to dealing with the Nets.

It may also be Howard's best chance at a winning situation.

If the Nets go into next summer with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez under contract, they wouldn't have room under the salary cap to sign Howard outright. He'd be no closer to Brooklyn than he is now.

Howard will need to hope the Nets find some way to assemble a package that's more to Hennigan's liking.

Otherwise, he'll need to quickly rethink just how determined he is to team up with Deron Williams.