Dwight Howard Rumors: Magic Would Be Crazy to Continue D12 Drama Another Season

After almost half a year of rumors, near-trades and crumbling deals, the Orlando Magic are considering holding on to Dwight Howard.

All that means is the Magic are postponing their chances of rebuilding into something resembling a functioning team. All that means is another year of rumors, speculation and waffling from D12 himself. 

It's time for the Magic—and Howard—to just let it go.

ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reports that league sources indicate Howard might not be traded during this offseason at all, and the Magic are only interested in a transaction that is "great" for their franchise.

This comes just days after rumors circulated that Howard would sign an extension if he were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and after his agent struck down those rumors with an iron fist.

So here we have it: We could be dealing with this trade-or-no-trade nonsense for another 11 months. According to Broussard's report, more sources claim that the Magic could move Howard before the 2012-13 trade deadline, which is in February. 

In February, it's a given that teams will be more desperate than they are now. Teams will gauge how far they have to—and how creative they have to get—in order to secure their positions in the playoffs and they'll be willing to offer up more in order to obtain a player like Howard, who can make or break their chances of postseason success.

Howard is the best center in the league; he's worth a lot, and the Magic are right, in a sense. They shouldn't trade him unless it's a deal that will significantly help them.

But at this point, getting rid of Howard significantly helps them. Howard isn't going to be in Orlando after June 2013. Sooner or later, this team is going to have to start rebuilding around young talent, just like it once rebuilt itself around Howard. The sooner they begin that process, the sooner they quit delaying inevitable and the sooner the future begins.

There's also the fact that if Howard isn't willing to sign an extension with a new team now, he's not going to be willing to do it in February. It's pretty clear that this is a player who wants to test the free agency market next summer.

If the Magic don't trade him now—to whatever teams are still willing to take him without a long-term guarantee—they're not going to be able to loan him out for three or four months to finish off the upcoming season and still expect to receive the world in return.

In the final few months of the 2011-12 season, having Howard around was a distraction. The rumors surrounding him—about his distaste for his coach, his desire to leave, his trade preferences—completely eradicated any chance the Magic had of making a run. It ruined the team's chemistry and its ability to compete.

Nothing will be different this time around. Why are the Magic willing to endure another year of that?

There's no time like the present for Orlando to begin life post-Howard.