Dear Dwight Howard, Reality Check Time: Nets Trade Would Be a Career Killer

Every team in the NBA would like nothing more than to welcome Dwight Howard into their midst, but he has his heart set on joining one team in particular. 

That team would be the New Jersey Nets, of course. The New York Post reported last week that Howard had requested a trade to the Nets, a move that would allow him to join forces with superstar point guard Deron Williams. The Nets are also attractive because they're moving to Brooklyn next season, meaning the NBA's best big man would have a permanent home in the Big Apple.

Per Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets and the Orlando Magic had the framework of a deal in place late last week, but Orlando's ownership refused to sign off on it. The Magic will start the season with Howard on their roster, knowing full well that they can rekindle talks with the Nets any time before the March 15 trade deadline.

While the Magic are biding their time, Howard needs to use his time pondering one thing and one thing only:

Does he really want to be traded to the Nets?

Howard is all alone in this decision. The Nets have never been an attractive destination for superstar players, so Howard is essentially looking to explore uncharted territory. This fits with the rumors about him wanting to blaze his own trail, and going to the Nets and winning championships with them would definitely fit the bill.

The question is whether or not the Nets would immediately be championship contenders if they were to acquire Howard in a trade. 

They wouldn't be. Not even close.

Listen, all of us are stoked about the prospect of having Howard paired with Deron Williams. Having Howard around would up Williams' game, and having Williams around would up Howard's game. Together, they would form a tandem that no team in the NBA could match.

This tandem alone would make the Nets contenders in the Eastern Conference, which would be a monumental step forward given the lows the franchise has experienced in recent seasons.

But to actually contend for championships, the Nets would need more. Two positions on the floor would be as solid as a rock, but the other three would leave a lot to be desired. With the exception of rookie shooting guard Marshon Brooks, there is very little upside to go around. 

Because of this, the Nets would still have work to do after acquiring Howard. They would need to find solid pieces to put around their superstar tandem, and that would be much easier said than done.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that the Nets wouldn't have much financial flexibility after (hopefully) signing Williams and Howard to lucrative extensions, and they would be limited in terms of what they could do in the draft. The proposed deal for Howard included one first-round draft pick, and the Nets' days of enjoying lottery picks would likely be over as long as Howard and Williams remain together.

So conceivably, Howard would be stuck in a situation not unlike his current predicament in Orlando. His team would be good, but not quite good enough. Worse, it would be a long-term thing.

In the meantime, the rest of the Eastern Conference would go about its business. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Miami Heat are an elite team, and so are the Chicago Bulls and (for now) the Boston Celtics. The New York Knicks are on the rise, and the same appears to be true of the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers.

Because going to New Jersey/Brooklyn would not be an automatic ticket to Eastern Conference dominance, Howard should have second thoughts about his demands. Because he can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, he doesn't need to be so urgent about going to one place in particular.

Howard will find far more options waiting for him in free agency. He could choose to sign with the Nets, who would still have the assets they would have otherwise traded for him, but he could also sign with the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks, two teams that he is rumored to be interested in.

No doubt there will be other interested parties as well. Just about every door in the league will be open to Howard.

Right now, the Nets are the most attractive and the most convenient team for Howard to join. But later on, they might not be, and it's not as if the window is closing on Howard's career. He may not want to, but he can afford to be patient.

Just because he wants to blaze his own trail doesn't mean he needs to rush into it. If he does, he'll regret it.