NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Must Lower Demands for Dwight Howard

The Orlando Magic have a problem with their perception of how much Dwight Howard is worth on the trade market. 

If they have any hopes of getting something out of him before he hits the free agency market next summer, they must lower their trade demands. 

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports:

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...management is becoming increasingly focused on a potential trade package centered on Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Andrew Bynum, league sources told Yahoo! Sports...Bynum wouldn’t nearly be enough to satisfy Hennigan’s desires for a return on Howard. The Lakers would need to send draft picks and absorb long-term money off the Magic’s payroll, sources said.

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Wojnarowski goes on to say that the Lakers would need to take on either Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson to cover the cost of the trade.

These demands for Howard are ridiculous.

I know he's a phenomenal player, but he's no Wilt Chamberlain or Shaquille O'Neill. While there's no doubt Howard is better than Bynum at this point in their careers, his game has hit a plateau, while Bynum's is still developing.

Bynum is going to be a force in the NBA for a long time. He's only 24 years old, and his offensive skills haven't even begun to develop to full potential. He is going to become the Lakers' No. 1 option on offense once Kobe Bryant retires.

Conversely, Howard has trouble hitting a 10-foot jump shot.

The Lakers won't mortgage their future by sending draft picks and Bynum for Howard.

Howard has put the Magic in a no-win situation with his childish antics, his coach-killing, me-first attitude and his wishy-washy trade demands.

They need to get something out of him, and they're desperately trying to conjure a deal that they'll win. The truth of the matter, though, is that they aren't going to win. They will either lose a little, or they'll lose a lot. 

It's time for the Magic to realize that they aren't going to rake in a massive prize for their troubled star.

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