NBA Free Agency 2012: Why Orlando Magic Must Make Play for Chris Paul

If the Orlando Magic are going to convince All-Star center Dwight Howard to remain with the team when he becomes a free agent following the season, they will have to make a big splash. That splash could very well be in the form of signing point guard Chris Paul.

While it has been rumored that Paul has requested a trade from the New Orleans Hornets to the New York Knicks, it has also been reported by Yahoo! Sports that Paul has reached out to Howard and expressed interest in the two of them finding a way to play together.

That would essentially be impossible for the Knicks to pull off, but one way in which it could work out is if the Magic re-sign Howard and make a play for Paul next offseason. It isn't known if that is something that would interest either Howard or Paul, but it is certainly worth exploring for the Magic.

If the organization promises Howard that it will pursue Paul in free agency then that might be enough to make Howard consider staying in the fold. While the Magic front office would certainly have to move some salary around to make it happen, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel outlined some ways that the Magic could make room for Paul.

This would be contingent upon using the new amnesty clause in order to release forward Hedo Turkoglu and his $11.8 million contract. The Magic would also need guard Gilbert Arenas to opt out of his ample contract after the season. While that may not seem likely, Robbins speculated that Arenas' friendship with general manager Otis Smith might cause him to do Smith a favor.

If all of that falls into place, the Magic could be in a position to sign both Howard and Paul if they make a couple more shrewd maneuvers. Again, it remains to be seen if either Paul or Howard would be open to such an arrangement, but the two superstars are obviously interested in playing on the same team.

This type of move would be akin to what Dwyane Wade did with LeBron James and Chris Bosh last season. Wade easily could have signed elsewhere like with the Chicago Bulls, but he instead decided to stay when he convinced James and Bosh to sign in Miami.

Provided Howard still has some desire to remain in Orlando, he could do the same in recruiting Paul. Banking on such a strategy would be a risk for the Magic and it would mean that they could lose Howard for nothing in free agency, but I think the risk is well worth it.

Without Howard, the Magic will be in dire straits. Most of their other key players are aging, so the window of opportunity in terms of winning a championship would be closed. If they can somehow team Paul with Howard, though, Orlando will be one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.