NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Made Smart Choice Turning Down Latest Dwight Howard Deal

Almost lost in the shuffle of Wednesday's trade of Chris Paul was the fact that the Orlando Magic pulled center Dwight Howard off the trading block for now.

It was the right move by Orlando general manager Otis Smith, considering the timing.

There is no hurry in dealing Howard. If a deal came along this week that absolutely blew the Magic away, then they certainly needed to pull the trigger. However, there is a big difference between the best deal being offered at the moment and the best deal they could get for Howard.

Now they can let the dust settle after the Paul trade and everyone that lost out could lust after Howard.

Not only that, but keeping him in a Magic uniform until the trade deadline serves two purposes.

First of all, teams will get more desperate as the trade deadline approaches. Especially a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been upstaged by the Clippers. Give a team like that more time and the more desperate they get, the more willing they are to overpay for Howard.

The Magic now can get more teams involved in the process and can patiently wait for the deal they want.

Secondly, it gives them more time to possibly convince Howard to stay in Orlando. Smith could possibly take the opposite route and try to improve the current club in an attempt to convince Howard to stay.

Either way, pulling Howard off the trading block for now is the smart thing to do. Rushing into a deal ultimately could have been a big mistake.