Although Dwight Howard is not currently a free agent and will not be a free agent until the summer of 2012 speculation has already begun on where he might land. After the Orlando Magic were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks a reporter asked Dwight about his upcoming free agency and he had this to say:
“That has nothing to do with right now. There’s no need for me to comment on it, so you know, let’s not talk about it. There’s no need to bring it up. Right now I’m going to figure out how can I get myself better for next season, not about what team I want to play for. But right now I’m with the Magic, so all the speculation can stop. There’s no need to talk about it.”
I applaud him for trying not to make a spectacle of a free agency that is over a year away, but in no way did that statement make Magic fans feel better. Not one time did he state that he wants to be in Orlando next year. All he did was state the obvious….right now he’s with Orlando.
Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith has let it be known that he does not plan on trading Dwight Howard saying this “You can print it wherever you want it, it ain’t ever going to bed until he signs a contract extension or signs somewhere else.” We’re bracing for a long summer of fruitless speculation and rumors.
My question to Otis would be, why not put it to bed? If you feel that Howard may opt out of his contract in 2012 why not trade him? With all the speculation going around that Dwight will be in a Lakers uniform sooner or later why not get Bynum and/or Odom for him? All I’m saying is the Orlando Magic should learn from the Cavaliers and the Nuggets. The Cavs did not trade Lebron thinking that he would sign back and they got nothing when he decided to take his talents to South Beach. The Nuggets on the other hand knew that Anthony didn’t want to be there so they traded him to the Knicks and got players in return.
Now Dwight can decided not to opt out of his contract in 2012 and stay until 2013, but the way the Magic performed in the playoffs why would he want to? So if I’m a Magic fan or part of the Magic organization I wouldn’t set myself up for a letdown. It was good while it lasted.
