"Superman" for "the King": Magic Brass Should Be Bold and Offer Howard for James
The sun is setting. The fat lady is warming up. The hour glass is running low. Use any euphemism you want to use describe the situation Orlando but the reality is seems very clear: Dwight Howard’s time patrolling the paint for the Magic seems to be coming to an end. Although he has stated he would like to create his own path, all indications point to "Superman" testing the free agent market and bolting next summer to team with a new cast.
We have seen this before. LeBron was most notable, but last summer’s madness should have taught Magic GM Otis Smith one valuable lesson I learned in baseball summer camp in the fifth grade: it is advantageous to get out in front of the ball if you want to make a play. You never want to trail.
Smith has a franchise-altering decision to make regarding Howard. Do you go on the word of a player who may have thoughts of moving on, or do you make proactive moves to trade him and begin the rebuilding phase?
Conventional wisdom says Smith should not overreact because he has Howard under contract. Conventional knowledge also points out that the fear of losing Howard for nothing is highly unlikely.
Rumor has it that Howard has interest in only a select few teams, namely the Lakers, the Bulls, the Knicks and a few others. What must be considered is that none of the teams that Howard wants to join have enough cap space to sign him outright.
Also take into account that Howard is in line for a max extension from Orlando that will pay him more money than any other team. This would suggest the 6’11” center will have to leave the Magic via sign-and-trade. With that being said, maybe conventional thinking should end here and Smith should get bold.
Smith needs to sit down with Howard and get a feel for his intentions. If there are any indications Howard will not sign, Smith should make a call to that other team in Florida and propose an offer Pat Riley may not be able to refuse: Dwight Howard for LeBron James.
As far-fetched as it seems, Riley would at least have to listen for a multitude of reasons. LeBron James, although arguably the best player in the NBA, has no real ties to the South Beach fan base. The fans are much more loyal to Dwayne Wade, the man who earned the city their first championship in 2006.
Although some would be stirred at first, basketball wisdom says Howard remedies many of the Heat needs immediately and eliminates the redundancy of James and Wade’s respective skill set. It provides a clear pecking order to the offense and provides a balance that was lacking at times this season.
While it seems hard to believe, the trade could actually make the team better defensively while bringing the Heat’s quality supporting cast, namely Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem, back into the fold. Also, the dynamic of Bosh and Howard would be much more natural, with Bosh slashing and spotting up while Dwight handles the dirty work in the paint.
Orlando, quite honestly, could not do better than LeBron James. Despite some bumps in the road, James is the most talented player in the league. At 26, LeBron will only get better with time. Best yet, James is signed through 2014, more than enough time to build a team around the 6’8” forward. You also have him at $14 million, well below market value. You would have to trust the move motivates James to prove the critics wrong and win a championship with a team built around him.
The question will come up, “what if Howard decides to leave after a year?” As stated before, Howard will probably have to go in a sign and trade situation, so you will definitely get a substantial consolation prize. If he wants to join Kobe in LA, you get Bynum or Pau. If he likes the lights of NYC, you could have Carmelo or Amare. Chi-Town will land you Noah.
The point is acquiring Dwight is a win-win situation for the Heat because any scenario, save for him leaving his extension on the table and taking less money, makes the Miami a contender for at least next four years.
It also would put Orlando, with some tweaks to their roster, in a position to challenge for the Eastern title immediately. Although hampered by the horrendous Gilbert Arenas contract that runs through 2014, the Magic have Jason Richardson’s $14 million coming off their books this summer.
With shooters J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson still on the roster and the hopes that Hedo Turkoglu revitalizes his game, the Magic has a base of talent that complements LeBron much like his 60 win teams in Cleveland. Plus there are rumors the new collective bargaining agreement will include a one-time “Allan Houston” clause like the previous agreement. The clause would allow a team to cut but still pay one player on their current roster without the salary reflecting on their cap. Bye-bye Arenas, enter free agent center.
Best of all, it creates a true rivalry in the south east that we have sorely missed in NBA. Don’t trail, Otis, go make a play for your team. Make the call.
