Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Orlando Magic Must Trade Dwight Howard This Season

Let's rewind back to the fall of 2009. The Cleveland Cavaliers were entering their last season with LeBron James under contract. It was their last shot to do something with King James.

They never surrounded him with legitimate help. All they gave him were a bunch of Anthony Parkers and Antawn Jamisons. They held on to LeBron almost certain he would come back next year even after Dan Gilbert shortchanged him on teammates. 

They were wrong. The Cavs faltered in the playoffs and LeBron bolted. The Cavs are now the worst team in the league.

The Orlando Magic find themselves in an eerily similar situation. They have superstar forward Dwight Howard playing in his last season under contract in Disney World and they are entering a season where they know they don't really have a legitimate shot to win the championship.

Orlando must do what the Denver Nuggets did last year when they traded Carmelo Anthony. They must recognize that Dwight isn't coming back. Disney World may be the happiest place on Earth, but the city of Orlando is not big enough for Howard. 

Orlando, like Cleveland and Denver, was unable to attract stars to help their mega talent win a title. Now they are faced with a huge decision that has a simple answer.

Do they fall into the pipe-dream trap believing that Howard will stay in Orlando or do they rebuild like Denver did last year and remain competitive?

By trading Howard, Orlando can get numerous parts that will help them put a solid product on the floor much like Denver did last year. At the same time, they'll be getting rid of the distractions of Dwight Howard trade rumors that will only intensify during the regular season. 

They can start a whole bidding war for Howard, who is easily the best big man in the game today. Teams like the Lakers, Mavericks, Celtics, Bulls and other teams will pay a high price to acquire Howard. The Lakers appear to be the front-runner. Seeing that their team is aging and they have great parts like Andrew Bynum, it only makes sense the Magic work out a trade with them.

The Magic can acquire a few draft picks, Andrew Bynum and perhaps even Lamar Odom or Metta World Peace. With these pieces they can remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. With great scouting and drafting, the Magic can return to the top four in the East within a couple of years.

This makes a lot more sense than holding onto Howard for one more year and hoping he stays. He's not going to stay. Orlando can't surround him with enough talent and DW12 wants to win while he's still in his prime. If they do keep Howard and he signs elsewhere, the Magic become a lottery team instantly much like Cleveland did this year.

Hopefully Orlando fans are smart and they understand that a big loss today can lead to a bigger win in the near future.