This offseason has been a circus show for the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard.
The 26-year-old Howard wants out of Orlando because they won’t give him the long-term extension that he has been looking for, as well as the franchise’s management being in such disary and no stability from the head coach on up.
Obviously Orland Magic GM Rob Hennigan, entering his first year with the team, is voicing that things are different and are asking him to stay and to rebuild the relationship with the team. But to no avail, Howard still wants out.
So, what teams are interested in the superstar center-forward? I see four teams;
BEST CHANCES:
Brooklyn Nets: Probably his best bet, they picked up Gerald Wallace at the forward; got one of the best back-court’s in the league featuring Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. They can offer Howard a long-term contract/extension that the Magic are straying fro
m. Yeah they just picked up Brooke Lopez for the center position; but the guy had played five games last season before getting injured. If Howard goes here, he will have a strong supporting cast to get him to the NBA Finals and to get his first ring. He can have a solid back-up with Lopez as he gets healthy. Also too, the team is hungry, they are relatively young; they are right there and Howard can make them a NBA Finals contentor instead of just a Playoff-bound team.
Houston Rockets: They offer the best assets sheet and can offer first-round picks for Howard to the Magic organization. They have released Luis Scola in order to create more room on roster for Howard, even though they won’t offer him a long-term solution. For Howard, talent-wise they are very similar to the Magic. The team are missing a half a step from being good an
d Howard can close that gap into the playoffs. Howard can get this team to the playoffs, by filling up that middle along with Chandler Parsons, (not to mention making him better). He can make everyone on that team better as he did in Orlando. The only difference is, they don’t have a back-up like a Lopez for Howard. This is where keeping Scola, reducing his salary, would’ve made the Rockets the best choice instead of the Nets.
OUTSIDE LOOKING-IN:
LA Lakers: They have shown some minor interest in Howard. If they’ve shown as much interest as Houston and Brooklyn, we are talking about the obvious front-runner. The Lakers have already won championships without Howard and with the team the
y got, but if they make a move to get Howard, give him the long-term extension that he wants; we are easily talking three-, four-, five- championships. With Howard at the center position, Pau Gasol at forward, Kobe at the shooting guard, Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) at small forward, and Ramon Sessions at the point; you got the tools to a championship team. Then having Andrew Bynum as the 6th man, we’re talking the dream team right here.
Atlanta Hawks: The last option. They have the cap room for Howard and are looking to get young. But they are stacked at the center (Jason Collins, Erick Dampier) and forward (Tracy McGrady, and Jerry Stackhouse), that are preventing them to really make a move. If they can trade or release someone, to free up some physical space for Howard, then they can be a “true” contentor in this race because they are like the Rockets, they are right there to be something in the playoff and NBA Finals talks.
The Magic would be crazy to trade Howard, but at the same time they would be crazy not to trade him. He is upset and would hold the franchise back by sitting out and throwing these tantrums about “trade me or I’ll sit”. Trade him, you got options out there and it’s not like they are bad trade options either, you’ll get a superstar bang for your buck for a superstar player.
Sources:
http://www.nba.com/hawks/roster/2012
http://www.nba.com/lakers/roster/2012
http://www.nba.com/nets/roster/
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