NBA Trade Rumors: End of Lockout Ushers in Beginning of Dwight Howard Circus
The NBA lockout has finished, but the circus is just starting for fans of the Orlando Magic and superstar center Dwight Howard.
Superman, as they call him, may be signed with the team for the duration of this shortened season, but anybody with a pulse knows that everybody and their mother is expecting Howard to test out his options in free agency.
There is one thing we know for sure, and that's that Howard certainly means business, according to Simon McCormack of HuffingtonPost.com:
Dwight Howard has a clear message for the Orlando Magic: win, or risk losing the all-star center.
"The three-time Defensive Player of the Year said he would not sign an extension with the Orlando Magic this summer, and instead would become a free agent in 2012.
He said he would prefer to stay in Orlando, but that could change if the Magic don't win a championship next season.
"I want to win a championship," Howard told NBA.com. "I think the owners have to really know that. That's been my goal and my mission since I've been in the NBA—to win a championship. I don't have side goals or agendas. My main goal is to win a championship. I want to have 14 other guys who feel the same way."
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That certainly can't be a good thing to hear if you're a fan of the Magic, especially considering their recent downfall in the Eastern Conference power rankings.
They went from losing in the Finals to the Lakers in 2008, to the conference finals in 2009, to being bounced out of the first round of the playoffs last season.
While a new season brings a new start, there is no doubting the fact that the Magic have been on a downward trajectory.
Unfortunately for Magic fans, the new season also brings them one step closer to potentially losing their star.
In this day and age of NBA free agency the player seems to have the seat of power, and that doesn't seem to be changing under the potential new agreement.
Essentially the Magic are going to have to determine whether or not they will have a shot at retaining Howard through free agency.
If LeBron James taught us anything, it's that team and city loyalty is quite a foreign concept to NBA players, so to think that Howard would wait out the year and then re-sign with the Magic would be naive.
If the Magic are catching the drift that Howard doesn't want to re-sign, they would be smart to trade him and at the very least get something back in return. However, even that is something that Howard could have quite a say in.
Just look at Carmelo Anthony's departure from Denver for a blueprint of that scenario.
Either way, it's about to get pretty crazy in Orlando.
Have no doubt that every media outlet from every city will be constantly barraging the team and Howard with free agency questions, trade speculations and rumors.
The tension surrounding the team will inevitably be thick, and the consequences for slow starts, losing-streaks and bad team chemistry will be at an all-time high.
The lockout may be over, but the circus that will be surrounding Howard and the Orlando Magic this season is just beginning.
Cue the music.
