It is no secret Dwight Howard isn’t happy in Orlando and the situation is continuing to deteriorate because of the Magic’s poor performance. Orlando has a volatile situation on its hands that could very well end in Superman flying to a new city.
Before the season started Howard requested a trade, but nothing came of it. It’s clear Howard wants something to change in Orlando or he wants to leave. The situation continued to escalate after an embarrassing 67-93 loss to New Orleans. After the game Howard ripped into his teammates saying they didn’t look like they wanted to play. He said his team’s effort was poor and his teammates should stay in the locker room if they don’t want to play hard.
To Howard’s credit, he was the only one to score in double figures during that game. He wants more help and the Magic has tried to fill that request, but it hasn’t worked. Glen Davis — an acquisition requested by Howard — joined the team but he still isn’t happy.
Great players are great because they have the right supporting cast. Jordan had Pippen, Lebron has Wade and Bosh and Kobe had a number of all-stars, but Howard doesn’t have anyone to share the load.
This season the Los Angeles Clippers got Chris Paul to play with Blake Griffin and they’ve already seen positive results. The Magic needs to do the same with Howard or Orlando will lose him, and soon.
The Magic needs a more physical point guard but the list of possible candidates is short. Orlando doesn’t appear to be a desirable location to a lot of players right now, so getting a quality player to come is unlikely.
Howard’s contract expires at the end of the season. Unless the Magic get someone to help Howard, which isn’t looking likely, it’s doubtful he’ll be in an Orlando uniform next year.
So what should the Magic do? Obviously losing a player of Howard’s caliber would hurt, so trading Howard might be the most beneficial move at this point. He’s not happy and he’s probably not coming back next year, so why not get something for him?
Howard has already indicated Boston would be a good fit. The Celtics are getting older and adding a young star like Howard to their roster would build for the future in Beantown.
Another option for Howard is the Lakers. LA hasn’t quite found its chemistry with the new coach and adding Howard to a roster that already has Kobe and Pau Gasol could be the spark the Lakers need.
Tempers are flaring and Howard isn’t happy. If the situation doesn’t improve soon the Magic need to move on and look to the future. If Howard’s going to leave, the team’s owners shouldn’t let him leave for nothing. A split might be the best thing for both parties.