From the news story that will seemingly never die, the Orlando Magic are reportedly ready to trade center Dwight Howard in the offseason. Howard, who has caused more headaches in Orlando than 4,000 screaming teenagers at a Justin Bieber concert would, was reportedly the driving force behind the firing of Stan Van Gundy and will become a free agent in 12 months assuming he doesn't receive a contract extension first.
The trade rumors have been all over the place with Howard this year, but this latest report from Chris Sheridan of ChrisSheridanHoops.com says a league source believes he will indeed be dealt in the coming months.
A plugged-in league source tells SheridanHoops.com that the feeling is mutual, and Orlando is prepared to trade him sooner rather than later.
The source said that when Magic team president traveled to Michigan last weekend to speak in person with owner Rich DeVos, the conclusion was reached that not only was it time for Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith to go, but Howard, too.
Sheridan also speculates that the Magic will be looking for a top-3 lottery pick for Howard (along with other players, probably) but also said in a chat that his initial pick to land D12 would be the Lakers. Any deal would have to center around Andrew Bynum, and even Pau Gasol could be a possibility as well.
This will definitely be an ongoing story to watch for in the coming months.
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