NBA Free Agency: Why Dwight Howard Will Re-Sign with the Orlando Magic in 2012

It's remarkable to observe that most of the 2011 free agency talk surrounds Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic center and league superstar of the 2012 free agency class.

What makes the talks all the more intriguing is that Howard should be more inclined to stay put in Orlando.

What makes Howard seem like he wants to find a new home—more than anything—is the fact that NBA superstars around the league have begun a trend where multiple superstars join together to win rings.

Since the Big Three was put together by Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics organization, the league has taken a different sort of spin when it comes to building championship teams. Soon after there was the Pau Gasol trade that sent the talent to the Los Angeles Lakers to team up with arguably the NBA's best player in Kobe Bryant.

Last season, the New York Knicks were the next to give it a go, adding Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to play alongside star Amar'e Stoudemire.

Twitter fans, this is what you would call a more permanent trend, set to trend for a plethora of seasons to come.

Howard has been the spotlight of the free agency talks as his value is arguably as great as any to hit the market in the last decade. His dominance at the center position is unmatched, as he is a talent that only continues to improve both offensively and defensively.

For the last three seasons, Howard has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in dominant fashion. Last season, Howard was second in the league in rebounds with 14.1 per game and fourth in blocks with 2.38 per contest. Come postseason time he was that much more dominant on the glass, grabbing 15.5 boards per game.

This brings me to the main reason why Dwight Howard won't leave the Orlando Magic: He is in a comfortable situation.

Unlike most of the other superstars that have been traded to teams to create trios of All-Stars, Howard plays for a team that is a contender. Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Pau Gasol, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh all played for teams that didn't stand a chance at winning an NBA championship prior to being traded.

LeBron James is a more difficult one to argue—a guy who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who went 61-21 and were in first place in the Eastern Conference. Regardless, they were a team without a championship identity, a team that lacked the personnel to get over the hump.

Howard and the Magic, with the exception of last season, have been contenders to win an NBA title for several seasons. In 2009, despite losing to the Lakers in five games, they made the NBA Finals.

Not to mention, the Magic have the different components that could keep them as contenders.

Although he's a free agent, the Magic can re-sign Jason Richardson, a solid scorer and big-time player down the stretch of games. Jameer Nelson is one of the more sound point guards in the league, and Hedo Turkoglu was a big component in the 2009 Magic team that made the NBA Finals.

We should also not forget Howard is a player known for his love for the spotlight and wanting the basketball in his hands on offense as much as possible.

On countless occasions he would complain that players didn't pass him the ball enough, even though Howard is a guy who puts up 13.5 shots a game.  Adding another superstar to the Magic might hurt his ego,  as he might want to sign a big contract with Orlando and continue to be the one go-to guy for the team.

With championship contenders like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and even the Chicago Bulls all able to use a guy like Howard, he will undoubtedly be a wanted man come 2012. It is also fair to say Howard knows his talent will make him as high in demand a free agent as the league has seen.

This is not to say that there are not teams interested, nor is it to say Howard won't give the free-agent market a go. It is to say that when it's all said and done, when Howard lies on his couch pondering his options next year, he may just surprise the world.

The main attraction of Orlando, the league's best center, the backbone of the Magic on both ends of the floor, may just be better-suited a member of the Orlando Magic.