Dwight Howard trade still in a limbo as the clock runs down - NBA News
Dwight Howard trade is one vibe that simply won’t fade away and even with just hours remaining in the trade deadline there are no certainties whatsoever. Instead, rumour has it that Orlando Magic are working on a different angles
to hold on to their ace.
About two months back, the centre had forwarded a trade request to the Magic front office, with New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks on top of his wish list. The franchise on its part has been trying to add some beef in the trade
deals available on the market, but they haven’t met any success so far.
This is partly due to their own indecisiveness, but the fact of the matter is that after going public with his desire to leave Magic, Howard literally killed the market and the stake holders involved, know that Howard will come
their way sooner or later. If the Magic fail to trade Howard before the trade window, the big man can have a maximum contract as a free agent with any franchise of his choice next season and for Orlando it will be a lose-lose situation.
There have been recent murmurs that the Magic are trying to convince Howard in signing a one year contract and are hoping that the franchise embarks on a successful playoff run, which could essentially force the centre in staying
put.
Tonight’s win against the Miami Heat might just prove to be a big factor in convincing Howard towards that path. Miami are one of the strongest contenders for the championship this season and the Magic have now beaten them twice
in the last three games. What has been more encouraging to see is that the Magic have been playing as a team off late and the over reliance on Howard is now a thing of the past.
They have also been reports, that the franchise owners have given Howard the option to select the coach and General Manager of his choice, which effectively means that he can get rid of Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith. Howard has
had a love-hate relation with Van Gundy and the big has been public about his dislike for the effusive verbal antics of the Magic coach. As for Otis Smith, his relations with Howard had gone ice cold ever since the trade saga began.
If that is true, it will give a new definition to the franchise player and may not go down well for the Magic in the long run.
Tags: