NBA Trade Rumors: Orlando Magic Should Deal Dwight Howard Before Trade Deadline

Allowing Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard to leave in free agency for nothing would be a colossal setback for the organization. Trading him before the trade deadline has to happen if the Magic want to be relevant a few years down the line.

Howard, who can decline his player option for the 2012-13 season, impacts a game possibly more than any other player in the NBA. He has said that he will take advantage of “every opportunity” in 2012.

"The biggest thing for me is taking advantage of every opportunity that I have in front of me, and that's how anybody should look at it. I'm 25 and I have a full life ahead of me, God-willing, and I have to do what's best for me, and that's it,” said Howard.

The Magic can’t allow their superstar to walk away for nothing just like the Cleveland Cavaliers did with LeBron James. Instead of bringing in players that could help the team, Cleveland allowed James to walk away. They finished the 2010-11 season 19-63.

It’s already going to be difficult for the Magic to win without him, but bringing in any piece that could help the team in the present and future would be the ideal thing to pursue. Orlando doesn’t want to end up like Cleveland with their pathetic 19-63 record.

It is apparent that today’s NBA is about joining forces in hopes of winning a championship. Howard knows that his best Orlando teams are behind him, and the future of the club is similar to what it has always been.

The Magic have to look at both sides of the equation. Howard’s side is pretty simple: today’s NBA is about having multiple stars on the same roster, and he will be given the opportunity to pick which team he wants to join with. After all, it is about winning a championship.  He will probably be too tempted to go to a team like Los Angeles in hopes of picking up his first NBA title. If Howard wants to win a championship, he will go.

Orlando needs to realize that attempting to keep him and having it backfire will set the team back several years compared to trading him off and grabbing talented players in return. Besides, Howard will be the prize possession at the trade deadline. There will be a plethora of teams that will be willing to give up the maximum for his services, especially those clubs that are desperate for a change.

There is no doubt that the value of return would be ridiculous.

This is a risk-reward situation that isn’t worth the chance. They should look directly at Cleveland to make their decision.

It’s about doing what’s best for the future of the franchise. Howard isn’t going to be around forever, and sometimes organizations need to make the tough decision.

That’s why they get paid the big bucks.