Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, along with Hornets point guard Chris Paul, have been subject to many trade rumors as of late and it has become apparent that one of both will be traded before the NBA season opens Dec. 25.
There are currently 30 teams in the NBA and Howard doesn't want to go to 26 of them -- he has made a list for the Magic that consists of four teams that he wants to play for.
This list consists of the Orlando Magic, who drafted Howard in 2004 and have made one NBA Finals appearance since then, mainly due to Howard's spectacular play. There is also rapper Jay-Z's New Jersey Nets, last season's champions Dallas Mavericks and of course, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lately, there has been speculation that the Chicago Bulls could also be on Howard's list, as they have a budding superstar in Derrick Rose, who was last season's MVP. There is also Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, who both form one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. The Bulls also have players that could entice the Magic in dealing Howard to the Windy City.
However, this list limits trade possibilities for the Magic, which has said that they won't exclusively deal to a few teams and that they will field offers from the league's 29 other teams. Unfortunately, no team is going to make a blockbuster trade to acquire Howard if he won't sign a lengthy contract extension with whichever team lands him. So, this practically means that it really is just four teams that he'd ideally play for because he won't sign an extension with any of the other 26 teams and would become a free agent after this upcoming season is over.
Alex Martins, the team's new CEO, met with Howard on Monday morning at the Amway Center and after the meeting, Howard apparently had toned down a little about wanting to get out of Orlando as quick as possible.
"I love this city, there is no place I'd rather be but Orlando. I just want to make sure we have the right things here so we can win a championship," Howard said. "I'm all about change. If you're willing to change and you're willing to do what it takes to win, then, you know, you got me."
Martins, who became the CEO last week after the resignation of Bob Vander Weide, has made no secret that he wants Howard to return to Orlando and help the team win their first ever championship.
Last Friday, the Magic gave Howard permission to speak with the teams on his list -- the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers.The All-Star has seemed to be most frustrated with the fact that he feels the Magic haven't made enough changes to become a championship-caliber team. They did make the NBA Finals a few seasons ago, but haven't been close to going back since that campaign. General Manager Otis Smith has made the team into a perennial playoff team, but hasn't made significant roster changes.
If you look at the past couple of seasons, the teams that have won a championship have had multiple All-Star talents with key role players -- Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum; Boston Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo; Dallas Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler.
For the Magic, there seems to be just Dwight Howard. He has solid players around him such as Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson, but those three players aren't going to land Orlando their first NBA championship. There needs to be more pieces added to the puzzle and Howard feels that Smith and the rest of the team's personnel have failed to surround him with multiple great players that could succeed in the playoffs.
And I can't blame Howard for being frustrated. When you enter a professional sport, the main thing to do is win a championship; not filling up stats in the record books -- for instance, Dan Marino in the NFL; Marino was one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, but he never won a championship. He put up gaudy numbers for the Dolphins, but was never able to win the big game. If he had won at least one championship, he'd be considered the greatest at his position of all-time.
Howard is undoubtedly the best center in the NBA. There is no doubt about it. But if he wants to go down as one of the all-time great centers, he needs to win a championship. And the Magic have failed to provide him with that opportunity to hoist the trophy above his head.
So now, with Howard threatening to leave, it may just strike that fear into Martins and Smith that they need to acquire a big name or they will never win a championship, as they would have to deal away the best player in the franchise's history. When you look at it, Howard on the Nets with Deron Williams have that opportunity to win a ring. Going down to Dallas with Dirk Nowtizki has that chance. He, Derrick Rose and Co. has a chance to win it, too. And of course, Kobe Bryant, the best center of our generation, and the rest of his Lakers, also. All these teams listed above with Howard make them among the league's best to win a ring.
If the Magic want to be among the league's best, they will give Howard a superstar to team up with, no matter what it costs. And it'd be a wise decision to do so. I can't blame the former No. 1 overall pick for one second. Maybe he can finally win a ring whether it be with Orlando or some other fortunate team.
