Dwight Howard Rumors: Comments Indicate That His Days with Magic May Be Numbered

Dwight Howard made some rather ominous comments about his future in Orlando with the Magic when asked about his impending free agency following the 2011-12 NBA season.

Howard gave some very honest answers when asked about his future in an interview with Esquire's Scott Raab, and he did absolutely nothing to re-assure Magic fans that he's thinking about signing long-term with the team.

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SR: Do you think that the drive to represent, on an iconic level, will be a factor in your free agency? Do you see yourself in a much larger market?

DH: There's more you can do in a bigger place. I'm stuck in a tough position because I feel like right now, where I'm at, I've done so much. And I just don't know what else I can do. I can't live for everybody else. I don't know what decision I'm gonna make as of right now. It's been crazy. Everybody wants me to come here, come play here, come to our team, do this. It's a great feeling, though, to be wanted.

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If that doesn't make the Orlando faithful uncomfortable about the prospects of the team's franchise center remaining in the fold, there is too much optimism brewing among the fan base.

The most alarming part of Howard's response is when he details how much he's done and he doesn't know what else he can do to get the club to take the necessary next step forward.

And he's right.

He has three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Awards and is coming off of a season where he averaged a ridiculous 22.9 points (career high) and paired that with an impressive 14.1 rebounds, including 4.0 offensive boards per game, behind only Kevin Love and Zach Randolph.

When one examines what Howard has been given to work with for complimentary pieces on the roster, it's easy to see why he's clearly frustrated.

General Manager Otis Smith is admittedly between a rock and a hard place in an effort to pacify Howard's desires and build a team that can compete for the long haul, but the moves he made last season were clearly out of panic and seemed to really backfire for the team.

Last season, Smith sent Rashard Lewis and his massive contract to Washington in exchange for the league's biggest question mark in Gilbert Arenas.

Additionally, he felt it was in the club's best interest to trade a seldom utilized Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and a first-round pick to Phoenix for Jason Richardson, Earl Clark and Hedo Turkoglu.

Although the moves were embraced by some, it's become increasingly difficult to rationalize or validate either decision as one that has benefited the team since they were made.

Here's how the deal worked out for Orlando:

Players Gone: Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat

Players Acquired: Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Earl Clark, Hedo Turkoglu

While the Lewis-for-Arenas swap was an obvious one of bad contracts and players who desperately needed a fresh start, the same can't be said for the remaining pieces.

It was clear that Carter wasn't going to be a piece of Orlando's long-term plans, but neither was Richardson. Now, the team is not expected to retain Richardson, and while that might save the club some money, it's not going to help the chances of retaining Howard.

Similarly, Clark is an unrestricted free agent, and it's not a certainty that he'll be back with the club.

Although Turkoglu played better in Orlando than he showed during his stint in Phoenix, he still failed to reach the level of productivity Magic fans had become used to from him from 2007-09 and looked like a lesser player.

Turkoglu, who has more than $34 million owed to him over the next three seasons, assuming he exercises his player option for the 2013-14 season, is going to be a crippling blow to the team's financial flexibility moving forward, as he's really not going to appeal to any club following his disappointing campaign.

Even though it may seem obvious that Orlando comes out as a loser after the two trades, the loss of Gortat is the biggest blunder for the Magic.

After the club surprisingly matched the five-year, $34 million offer sheet Gortat had signed with the Dallas Mavericks, the Magic dealt him to Phoenix, where he proceeded to break out in a big way and assert himself as a true starting center in the NBA.

It didn't take him long to take over Robin Lopez's job in the desert, and his 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 55.9 percent from the floor in 14 games as a starter have the Magic wishing that the club never dealt him.

It's hard for Howard to see a future in Orlando when the team doesn't seem to know what direction its headed in, and reading between the lines of what he said, Howard hints to that exact point when talking about what may be next for him.

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The toughest part for me is the city—the people. They've got burgers named after me in Orlando, they've got a Web site saying, "Please stay." I love the people in the city. I've literally sat on the bench with a towel on my head crying, because I feel the passion in the stands. I just think about what's going to be best for what I want to accomplish in my life. And I don't want that door to close on me, wherever that door is. I don't want it to close.

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Burgers, websites and the roar of the masses don't sound like they're enough to convince Howard that the door to his future is in Orlando.

He knows how to cement himself as an iconic center, and that's by winning at the highest level.

That doesn't seem likely for him in Orlando prior to his becoming a free agent.