Dwight Howard Rumors: D12 Right to Demand Trade with Magic Failing to Improve

Dwight Howard is speaking out about his reasons for demanding a trade. The All-Star center said a lack of moves from the Orlando Magic front office caused him to seek other opportunities, according to a report from ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

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"The stuff that I have asked for, the stuff I felt our team needed to get better, none of it has happened," Howard said. "That's not me being cocky, but I want to be involved with the organization. I've been here for a long time; I don't want to sit around."

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Howard also cited his failing relationship with general manager Otis Smith as a reason for wanting out of Orlando. When a player becomes fed up with his surroundings like Howard clearly has recently, you can't blame him for wanting to get a fresh start.

With the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks constantly seeking out ways to improve their already loaded rosters, the Magic are quickly falling behind in the Eastern Conference power struggle.

Smith hasn't been able to deliver similar support for Howard, settling for a sign-and-trade involving Glen Davis. If the Magic want to be legitimate contenders, bigger additions are necessary, especially on the perimeter.

Making matters worse for Orlando is the fact that Howard is an impending free agent, which lessens the team's bargaining power now that everybody knows he's demanded a trade.

While Magic fans will be frustrated Howard left Smith in such a precarious position, it's important to remember he gave the team an ample amount of time to build a championship contender around him. They were close for a while but have slowly faded into the middle of the pack recently.

Instead of losing him for nothing as season's end, Orlando should focus on getting the best package of young players, draft picks and cap space as it can. Since there are presumably more than a couple teams interested, a bidding war could help inflate the price back to a respectable level.

The bottom line is that Howard wants to do what's best for his career and right now he thinks the grass will be greener elsewhere. Only time will tell if he's right in that assumption, but it's a risk he sounds more than willing to take.

And based on Orlando's recent direction, it's impossible to fault him for keeping his options wide open.