Dwight Howard might not be traded before regular season – NBA Report
The drama surrounding the Dwight Howard trade continues to go on, despite almost a month having gone by since the restriction on trades and free agent signings was lifted.
The latest news coming out of the Magic headquarters is that the Orlando Magic might not trade Dwight Howard before the regular season after all, a complete opposite picture to the one that was painted a few weeks ago.
Executives who have had discussions with the Magic regarding Howard say that the Magic will only trade Howard if the deal is great for the franchise. The Magic refuse to be coaxed into trading Howard for a deal that is the best
for the time being. They realize that they have a huge bargaining chip in Howard, and also know that losing him would be a big setback for the franchise. Hence, they are holding on to him till the time they are able to execute a deal that makes the future
of the basketball club secure.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets emerged as the frontrunners to land Howard, and a deal seemed only days away. However, both teams have come out of discussions frustrated with the approach of the Magic management, and
feel that they are not interested in trading Howard at the moment.
Howard has repeatedly asked Orlando to trade him in the offseason, with the Brooklyn Nets as his top priority. He held a meeting with new Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan earlier this month, in which Hennigan tried to convince
him to return to the Magic for next season and give him a chance. However, Howard declined the offer and insisted that he be traded.
The Magic, however, have Howard locked up for next season and the only deadline they need to worry about is the trade deadline next season, which means they could very well start the next season with him still in the line-up.
The Magic know that Howard can quickly change his mind. After all, he did decide to opt in for the final year of his contract in March, even though he had requested a trade before that. Plus, the Nets re-signed centre Brook Lopez
to a contract extension and cannot trade him till January 15th, a full month ahead of the season trade deadline. This would put the Nets in prime contention to land Howard once again in January, with Lopez as the bargaining chip.
The Dwight Howard saga continues to unfold with time, with all options open and up for grabs. The Magic seem unclear with their expectations from the trade, and other teams are growing frustrated with their negotiations. They can
start the season with Howard but if they want to start a new era with a new team, the ideal thing to do would be to trade Howard and complete the new roster.
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