NBA Trade Rumors: Chauncey Billups off the Market Bad for Dwight Howard, Magic

The Los Angeles Clippers won the amnesty bid on Chauncey Billups, meaning that Billups will either be a Clipper or retire and give up his $14.2 million owed to him through the amnesty agreement. This could be horrible news for the Orlando Magic. 

Orlando's Dwight Howard had hoped they could land the championship point guard and former Finals MVP.

This weekend Howard and expressed discontent over not being consulted on personnel moves. 

Orlando might not have had much of a chance anyway. Earlier reports had the Nets potentially putting a bid on him just to keep Orlando from getting him. Despite the Nets’ potential interest in claiming him, sources close to Billups said he has no interest in signing with the Magic as a free agent. Since the Nets didn't put in a bid, that only adds credence to that report. 

Prior to the signing, Billups had hoped to end up on a contender, suggesting to teams that if they bid on him, he could be a disruption to the team:

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"I’ve been known as a leader, and I am a leader, but a leader can be as disruptive as he can be productive, especially when you carry a strong voice and people rally around you. This is about me now. This is about me, and teams should know that right now."

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Many teams had hoped that the threat would keep teams below the salary cap from bidding on Billups and allow him to have his choice. He would have presumably ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. 

Any of those contenders could have been greatly helped by the addition of Billups. The Magic landing the coveted point guard would have increased the likelihood of the Magic being able to keep Dwight Howard, the All-Star center. 

The Heat and Lakers are both teams whose championships would have been bolstered by the upgrade at point guard. 

The irony here is that by acquiring Billups, the Clippers now have the extra point guard to deal Eric Bledsoe along with Eric Gordon and the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round pick for Chris Paul, one of the most desirable players on the trading block.

Billups insistence was based on his wanting to play for a "winner." Ironically, with his coming to the Clippers and allowing them to deal for Paul, LA's other team gets vaulted into contender status. Billups will be able to play the backup point guard, or play off of Paul as the two in a Jason Terry-type scenario.

The Clippers already had Blake Griffin and earlier in the day extended DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers will now have Chris Paul endlessly lobbing up alley-oops to Griffin and Jordan or passing out to Butler and Billups.

As of now, there is no word on whether Billups plans to play, but if he does, he could be a part of a contender after all.