Well, that was fast.
Just a day after it was reported that Dwight Howard had asked the Magic (once again) to trade him, the Lakers, Nets and Rockets reportedly have already opened preliminary discussions with Orlando to acquire Howard. On Saturday, the Magic sent out the bat signal, informing teams that they were willing to hear offers for the superstar.
All three teams have been linked to previous attempts in acquiring Howard. Most recently, the Rockets have made a late push involving draft picks for the Magic center.
The Lakers have long sought Howard, with rumored potential deals having them send Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, or both, in exchange for Howard. It would be interesting, however, if Howard was sent to the Lakers given that he reportedly already killed a deal sending him to them right before the trade deadline.
The Nets, of course, are believed to remain Howard’s preferred destination. But with the Nets reportedly in talks to acquire Joe Johnson from Atlanta, the chances of Howard ending up in Brooklyn could be becoming slim. And after re-signing Gerald Wallace and likely soon Brook Lopez, the Nets simply won’t have the cap space to sign Howard when he becomes a free agent next summer.
If I had take a stab at guessing where Howard will ultimately end up, it wouldn’t be any of these three teams. The odds appear to not be in any of their favors. But in a saga that includes Howard laughably accusing the Magic of blackmail, what’s to say the unexpected can’t happen?
Photo: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE
