There is a 50-50 chance that the Magic will not trade Dwight Howard before Thursday’s NBA deadline, GM Otis Smith told the Orlando Sentinel. That’s about as cryptic as a characterization as one could make, and, as the Sentinel notes, it’s not clear whether Smith is being forthright or trying to entice interested teams to improve their offers for the star big man.
While the trade deadline is fast approaching, Smith said he’s not fielding as many calls about a potential Howard deal as he was months ago.
Magic CEO Alex Martins, meanwhile, is speaking with Howard almost everyday to try to convince him to stay in Orlando and remains "hopeful" that the team will be able to keep him long term.
A recent report said that in order to part with Howard, the Magic want a replica of what the Denver Nuggets got from the New York Knicks in exchange for Carmelo Anthony at last year’s trade deadline. The New Jersey Nets are the only team on Howard’s list of preferred destinations that have those types of assets (the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are also on that list).
It’s also possible a team not on the list—such as the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors—will roll the dice and trade for Howard with no assurances that he’ll sign a long-term deal after the season.
When asked of the Magic are prepared to hold onto Howard through the deadline and risk losing him as a free agent this summer and getting nothing in return, Martin told the Sentinel on Sunday, "We're not at the point where we're ready to answer that question yet. Sometime in the next four days we will be, but we're not at the point where we're ready to answer that question yet."
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