Dwight Howard for Russell Westbrook: A Trade That Just Makes Sense

For several months now, NBA fans have wondered where Dwight Howard will eventually end up.

The Orlando Magic's superstar center can opt out of his contract in 2012 and become the biggest name on the free agent market next summer.

Howard wants to win championships, which is something that will be difficult to achieve if he remains in Central Florida. 

With Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu's hard-to-trade contracts on the books, it's pretty much impossible for the Magic to acquire a superstar sidekick for Howard.

With that said, Howard will probably sign elsewhere if he enters free agency, meaning the Magic may be forced to trade him so they won't lose their franchise player without any compensation.

So where will Superman land in the near future? 

Will it be the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal centered around Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom? Will it be the Chicago Bulls in a deal for Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer?

A trade that makes quite a bit of sense is one that sends Howard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for 2011 All-Star Russell Westbrook.

The complete deal would be Howard and Jameer Nelson for Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins, James Harden and Nate Robinson.

No Magic fan wants to see a perennial All-Star like Howard leave the city of Orlando. But if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has to go, receiving a young star like Westbrook in return should help ease the pain.

Due to his play in last season's postseason, some consider Westbrook to be a bit of a ball hog. But wasn't Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time, known as a ball hog early on in his career?

Once Jordan learned to get his teammates involved, he went on to lead the Chicago Bulls to six titles. Not saying that Westbrook is the next MJ, but the 22-year-old phenom has a lot of time to improve his game.     

Westbrook averaged a career-high 21.9 points per game last season while playing alongside two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant. Just think what kind of numbers he could produce in Orlando as the team's leading scorer.

The Magic would acquire a franchise player in Westbrook, while Perkins could provide a defensive presence at center and Harden could start at shooting guard replacing free agent Jason Richardson.

The trade could be great for the Magic and great for the Thunder as well. Howard would team with fellow superstar Durant to create a dangerous inside-outside duo capable of steering OKC to a few titles down the road.      

Howard and power forward Serge Ibaka would form an outstanding defensive frontcourt tandem. Last season, Ibaka led the league in blocked shots while Howard finished third.

Nelson, an All-Star in 2009, would replace Westbrook as the Thunder's starting point guard. He's not going to put up 22 ppg like Westbrook—that's for sure—but he's still a solid floor general. 

No one knows if a Howard-for-Westbrook trade will ever take place. But if it does go down, fans in both Orlando and Oklahoma City should be happy.