Dwight Howard has been pushing for a trade from the Magic. He’s hinted that he wants to go to the Lakers, but his GM reportedly isn’t interested in what the Lakers are offering. He’s also interested in playing for the Nets with Deron Williams.
Though it’s obvious that Dwight wants out, he’s trying to leave Orlando without looking like the bad guy. He’s blamed the media for pushing him out, and now he’s blaming his GM for not doing enough.
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys and they’ve expressed a lot of interest and would come here,” Howard said. “And I’ve expressed that to the correct people, and none of it’s happened.
Offered the chance to respond, [GM Otis] Smith countered that he has consulted with Howard on most, if not all, moves made in recent years. Smith also said that he did acquire some of the players Howard had suggested.
Howard says he has not had a good enough relationship with his GM. I don’t know what kind of moves Dwight has suggested, but I think Smith has done a pretty good job building the roster. He’s acquired Ryan Anderson, Marcin Gortat, and Hedo Turkoglu in trades. He’s drafted players like Dwight, J.J. Redick, and Courtney Lee. Hedo Turkoglu and Brandon Bass marked some of his better signings.
The team made the Finals three seasons ago, and then lost in the Conference Finals two seasons ago. They’ve had good teams. Otis Smith built good rosters. Losing Hedo Turkoglu to the Raptors took away one of their key players, and then everything fell apart last season. I can see why Dwight wants out, but he shouldn’t blame Otis Smith as the reason.
