NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Must Stand Firm and Keep Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard may want to be traded, but the options don't exist for the Magic to make it worth their while to do so. 

According to Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk, Howard still wants to be moved. 

That came in light of a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowkski of Yahoo Sports saying that the Magic are no longer looking to trade Howard. 

That's a stance that they must keep. 

As Helin said, the options for the Magic are too limited. Howard has said that he'd only sign an extension with the Magic, Knicks, Nets and Lakers.

Right now, there isn't a single team in the NBA that would give up the kind of pieces necessary to acquire a player like Howard, only to have him walk away at the end of the season. 

The packages that the Knicks, Nets and Lakers have to offer haven't been good enough at this point. There's no reason to think that a new offer would do any good. 

Besides, Howard has said that he's willing to sign an extension with the Magic. This is a team that's consistently contended for the title for the last several years. Without Howard, that's not going to happen. Giving that away makes no sense. Especially when other options exist.

Turn the Table on Trade Talks

This is slightly far-fetched, but only because it hasn't been hotly pursued. Instead of looking to trade your best player to a big-market team, look to acquire their best player.

Deron Williams is still a free agent at the end of the season. Until he actually does sign with the Nets, there's no guarantee that he will. 

So, instead of looking to unite Howard and Williams in New Jersey (or Brooklyn), look to bring Williams down to Orlando. 

Even if this ultimately fails, it shows your star that action is being taken to build a talented team around him. That gives you something to tell him when it comes time to negotiate his contract.

Wait Until the Deadline

Right now, the options are limited. When the trade deadline comes around, teams are going to know exactly what they need to make a championship push. Before the season begins, teams are going to be a lot more rational in trade talks than they will when the possibility of a title is imminent. 

Then, any of the aforementioned teams might be in more of a desperate spot, as well as the rest of the league. That's when Orlando can get a sweet deal for Howard.

Right now, the desperation isn't there for any of the league's teams. Until there is desperation, the offers will be far more thought out.

Take Your Chances

The Magic aren't exactly what the Cavaliers were before LeBron James left. They do have talent in place, and play in a warm-weather city in a state with highly favorable tax laws. The Cavaliers had none of that in 2010. 

Obviously, the team would be better off by bringing Howard back. So, they need to do everything they can to make sure that happens. 

But that doesn't necessarily mean that they need to trade him to cut their losses. If they lose Howard, the city of Orlando has enough of a draw to it to bring in future free agents. With the money they would save not bringing in Howard, the team would be competitive again in short order.

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