Magic Trade Rumors: Why Orlando Must Hold on to Dwight Howard for Now

With the Dwight Howard saga dragging on into another week, it is becoming increasingly unclear about where the Orlando Magic Center will be playing in the 2012-2013 season. 

After Howard handcuffed the Magic into negotiating with the Brooklyn Nets, the two teams were unable to come up with a trade that would send Howard to Brooklyn, which was his only desired destination.

Since then, several teams have been rumored to be in negotiations with the Magic, including the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Lakers. 

As we sit here today, though, the Lakers deal is apparently dead, while the Hawks never seemed to be a serious contender in the first place. Unless something changes with either of those teams, Orlando is once again running out of options on where Howard could play next year.

Howard could end up with Houston if Orlando is willing to negotiate for less than what they were originally hoping for, but Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweeted on Sunday that trade talks for Howard have "slowed" and that the Magic are patiently waiting for the right deal.

Although there may be a sentiment from the media and some fans that Howard needs to be shipped out of Orlando as soon as possible, that is simply not in the best interest of the Orlando Magic franchise.

Otis Smith and the former regime of the Magic have let Dwight Howard dictate too much to this point about  where and when he wants to be traded. The fact of the matter is, this decision is no longer about what Dwight Howard wants, it's about what the Orlando Magic need.

Without a doubt, Dwight Howard must get traded before the end of the next season, since it seems unlikely, if not impossible, that he would resign with the Magic once he becomes an unrestricted free agent, and they need to receive some sort of value for him before he walks away. 

However, when Howard signed his one year extension in March to play for the Magic for another season, he lost out on his ability to play wherever he chooses next year. 

For Rob Hennigan, the Magic's General Manager, it would not be crazy to let Howard stay in a Magic uniform going into the season. In fact, it may even be their best option. 

Once the year starts, the deals for Howard's services will only become sweeter, as more teams try to land the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and win a championship next season.

The Rockets, for one, are desperate to get Howard in Houston. Even if they don't wait all the way until the season starts, the more patient the Magic are before trading Howard, the better the chance that they get everything they want out of a deal. 

The Rockets have good young pieces, draft picks, and the ability to absorb the Magic's awful contracts with players like Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. 

Howard has made it clear that he would not likely sign an extension with any other team besides the Nets, but Howard is notorious for flip-flopping on this issue. Howard doesn't seem quite sure what he wants, and you can bet that there are several NBA owners and GM's who believe if they could just trade for Howard, they would be able to convince him to sign for the long term.

Quite frankly, as long as there are suitors for Howard next season, it isn't the Magic's problem whether he signs an extension or not with his new team.

All that really matters for Orlando is getting as much value as possible for their best player before he walks away from the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2004. 

While it may seem easy to jump at the first offer and finally be able to rid yourself of the Dwight Howard saga, it is essential that the Magic's front office remains patient and holds on to Howard until the right trade from the right team comes calling.