Dwight Howard: 10 Guys the Orlando Magic Should Get to Help Howard
The Orlando Magic are not in a good situation right now.
They are saddled with bad contracts, most notably Gilbert Arenas ($17 million per year) and Hedo Turkoglu ($10 million per year).
Also, their superstar center, Dwight Howard, will be a free agent after next season and will probably want out of Orlando if they don't get him some decent help.
And help won't be coming in this year's draft because the Magic are without a first-round pick.
But, if they could sign some free agents this offseason, here are 10 guys that might help convince Howard to stay in Orlando.
10. Jason Richardson
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Richardson wasn’t the problem with the Magic last season.
He performed much better than Turkoglu and Arenas and was even a step up from Vince Carter when he was with Orlando.
He can shoot from range and get to the rim. The Magic could do a lot worse with their shooting guard position than Richardson.
9. Glen Davis
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The Magic need a power forward to team up with Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson.
Big Baby Davis would be a nice complement to them.
He takes more charges than anyone in the league and has a nice mid-range jumper.
Howard has said he’d like some help on defense and Davis would be a nice fit.
8. James Jones
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Jones is one of the NBA’s premier three-point shooters.
Adding him to the bench would make the Magic offense much more potent.
Pairing him with J.J. Redick on the second unit would give the Magic a big boost in scoring.
7. Caron Butler
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If the Magic could get Butler, they could move Turkoglu to the power forward position and make Butler the starting small forward.
Butler still has a lot left in the tank and probably won’t be re-signed by the Mavericks.
If the Magic can find some money or get rid of one of their bad contracts, they would be wise to spend some money on Butler.
6. Carl Landry
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Landry would be another good power forward to put into the mix.
He can score and grabs enough rebounds to be effective.
Landry is only 27 years old, so he still has plenty of good seasons left in him.
5. J.R. Smith
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Smith provides a huge spark off the bench.
He scored 12.3 points per game last season for the Denver Nuggets in just under 25 minutes per game.
He can knock down threes, he can unleash spectacular dunks (just ask Gary Neal), and when he’s hot, he can carry an offense by himself.
He would certainly take some offensive pressure off of Howard.
4. Tayshaun Prince
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When Howard complained about his team’s lack of defensive effort, he may have been onto something.
What the Magic really need is a long-armed swingman who can defend the other team’s best scorer.
Prince would fit that bill perfectly. He doesn’t score a whole lot, but he makes up for it with his defensive tenacity.
He’d stop some opponents before they got to Howard in the paint.
3. Chuck Hayes
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Hayes is undersized, but he can rebound like a big man.
He doesn’t score a whole lot either, but when the team needs scoring from the power forward position, they can put in Ryan Anderson.
Hayes would give them a strong defensive presence and a guy who could crash the boards with Howard.
2. Shane Battier
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Battier is another lanky, defense-oriented swingman who can guard other team’s best players.
He also doesn’t score very much, but he has a habit of hitting big shots when his team really needs it.
Performance in the clutch is something the Magic really need. Howard shies away from the pressure and right now, their best option late in games is Jameer Nelson.
1. Kris Humphries
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Humphries averaged a double-double for the Nets in 2010-11, with 10 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He also averaged over a block per game.
He’d be perfect to start alongside Howard in the post.
Oh, and signing him would mean Magic fans get to see Kim Kardashian at a few home games per season.
