[Yahoo] Dwight Howard: He’s determined to leave the Magic for the Nets,.........

s2kboy16 · Mar 13, 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_dwight_howard_magic_nets_trade_031312

Dwight Howard: He’s determined to leave the Magic for the Nets, either now or later

For everything Dwight Howard has told the Orlando Magic management about bringing him a stronger supporting cast, about the possibility that he could still sign an extension, it has turned into a complete ruse – a misdirection play on his eventual signing with the Brooklyn-bound New Jersey Nets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

With the combination of Howard’s disdain for confrontation, desire to be liked and a pragmatic belief that a trade is no longer in his best long-term interests, Howard has created an illusion with the Magic that there are factors that could cause him to sign an extension with the team.

“Dwight’s gone, and [Magic CEO] Alex Martins is the only person who doesn’t believe that,” a league source with knowledge of Howard’s intentions told Yahoo! Sports.

Howard is privately telling people the acquisition of an All-Star player and more complementary players could sway him to stay, league sources told Y! Sports’ Marc Spears, but that scenario is far-fetched given the limited appeal of Orlando’s trade assets. A proposed three-way trade between the Magic, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, which would send Andrew Bogut to Golden State and Monta Ellis to Orlando won’t happen unless Milwaukee also finds a team to take Stephen Jackson. And the Magic are hesitant about accepting Jackson’s contract, which has one remaining year worth $10 million, unless they’ve been assured Howard will re-sign.

Martins has been talking directly with Howard and is going along with ownership’s desire to keep the franchise center for the remainder of the season, sources said. From a business perspective, it made sense for Martins to hold onto Howard until the last possible moment. He still sells tickets, sponsorships and, yes, banks victories that will get the Magic into the playoffs even if Howard is traded by Thursday. Nevertheless, there’s no misunderstanding from Howard’s camp that they will eventually sign with the Nets at the July 1 start of free agency, sources said.

Magic general manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy have known Howard the longest. They know he will leave them and they want a deal done prior to Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. The gulf between Martins and his basketball operations staff has become vast, full of mistrust and animosity. “Otis and Stan want the circus to end,” one source close to them said. “They want a deal.”

Martins has improved the franchise’s relationship with Howard, multiple sources told Yahoo! Sports. But as one source talking to Martins and Howard said: “That’s great, but [Dwight’s] still going to leave.”

Said another official, who has been involved in deal talks with Orlando, New Jersey and the agents in the process: “Dwight is going to [expletive] them, and that will be especially true if he doesn’t even ask for the sign-and-trade on July 1, because he wants Brooklyn to keep assets.”

Why would Howard push for a trade now? So the Nets have to give up Brook Lopez and draft picks? For Howard, he can finish the season with the Magic, make the playoffs and leave on July 1 for a contract with the Nets, who can offer him a four-year, $81 million deal – about $28 million less than what the Magic can give him in a fifth year. Adidas wants him in a major market – New York or Los Angeles – and this scenario promises him the highest possible value on his upcoming renegotiation on his shoe deal.

Orlando has few assets that teams want but is still the team that can escalate payroll and absorb talent. After taking on millions of dollars more in future money on the salary cap in the Gilbert Arenas trade a season ago, Martins is threatening to do it again at the deadline. For all the talk of a potential Monta Ellis trade to the Magic, the Golden State Warriors have been adamant they won’t make any deal with Orlando that doesn’t bring Howard back as a rental for the rest of the season.

For the first time on Tuesday, Van Gundy seemed to publicly push back on upper management’s undermining of his GM and himself. “Sometimes, I feel like our coaching staff are the only people in Orlando who care about the results of games,” Van Gundy told reporters.

If Orlando goes to New Jersey before the trade deadline searching for a multi-team deal, the Nets are confident enough they’ll sign Howard on July 1 that they could reject any proposal that forces them to give up too many assets.

The New Jersey Nets are setting into a motion a plan to sign Howard, re-sign Deron Williams and keep restricted free agent Brook Lopez on an approximate $10 million annual salary, sources said. The Nets are working on several ways to shed several more million dollars of future payroll that will give them the flexibility to re-sign Lopez. The Nets and Charlotte Bobcats have had extensive talks on a deal that would send Boris Diaw’s expiring contract to New Jersey for several players and a first-round pick, sources said. The Nets could clear about $6.5 million in cap room with the trade.
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-By Adrian Wojnarowski

eddiewinslow · Mar 13, 2012

D rose got $260m...shoe deal is much more important than $80 or $100 mill contract

Juxtaposed Jolt · Mar 13, 2012

Orlando better start asking for stuff then.

torque · Mar 13, 2012

Oh snap

Raven · Mar 13, 2012

It's too bad that Orlando won't call his bluff.

cheke64 · Mar 13, 2012

Big regret for dwight in the making.

Icehouse · Mar 13, 2012

s2kboy16 said: ↑

Said another official, who has been involved in deal talks with Orlando, New Jersey and the agents in the process: “Dwight is going to [expletive] them, and that will be especially true if he doesn’t even ask for the sign-and-trade on July 1, because he wants Brooklyn to keep assets.”
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This is what I hate about the media and league officials sometimes. How is Howard [expletive] Orlando? By not ensuring they get something in return for him when he's a free agent? They are entitled to get something back if they help him get to his preferred team or get more $$. He owes them nothing. If he is willing to take a paycut to play where he wants to play more power to him.

Icehouse · Mar 13, 2012

cheke64 said: ↑

Big regret for dwight in the making.
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Not if he goes to Jersey and they don't have to give up any assets to get him. This is what Melo should have done, but he wanted his $$.

ROXTXIA · Mar 13, 2012

Yeah, I always wondered why Dwight would just tell them, Trade me to NJ. NJ doesn't have much to offer in return and, in any case, they could just trade Lopez to another team and get draft picks/better players at the 4 or 3.

The NBA and those shoe contracts, I tell you.

REEKO_HTOWN · Mar 13, 2012

cheke64 said: ↑

Big regret for dwight in the making.
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What regret? He gets to do what he wants.

OlajuwonFan81 · Mar 13, 2012

Icehouse said: ↑

This is what I hate about the media and league officials sometimes. How is Howard [expletive] Orlando? By not ensuring they get something in return for him when he's a free agent? They are entitled to get something back if they help him get to his preferred team or get more $$. He owes them nothing. If he is willing to take a paycut to play where he wants to play more power to him.
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Well in a way he is F'n with them. He is giving the Orlando Magic mixed signals. Did you read the whole article? It would be better for him to be straight up with the Magic and tell them he's going to the Nets. BUT if you read the article he doesn't even want to do that because he wants the Nets to keep all their assets. So in the end he is in a way f'n the magic.

Juxtaposed Jolt · Mar 13, 2012

What could the Nets have that the Magic would want in return, besides Humphries?

cheke64 · Mar 13, 2012

REEKO_HTOWN said: ↑

What regret? He gets to do what he wants.
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He wants to be "loved". Haven't you heard dwill diss the fans?

Juxtaposed Jolt · Mar 13, 2012

*and / or Lopez?

Icehouse · Mar 13, 2012

OlajuwonFan81 said: ↑

Well in a way he is F'n with them. He is giving the Orlando Magic mixed signals. Did you read the whole article? It would be better for him to be straight up with the Magic and tell them he's going to the Nets. BUT if you read the article he doesn't even want to do that because he wants the Nets to keep all their assets. So in the end he is in a way f'n the magic.
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I think he has been pretty straight up with them. He's given them a list of teams that he would possibly resign with. What else do you expect him to do? He's not even a free agent yet. He still has a right to change his mind. He doesn't have to decide right now anyway.

But if that's considered f'n with them then I guess Morey has F'd with everyone on our roster, and the Lakers have been F'n with Gasol all season long.

VBG · Mar 13, 2012

I honestly would like the trade. Plus, the Nets would become better than the Knicks and help our draft position haha

what · Mar 13, 2012

Brook Lopez and draft picks and call it a day.

The nets would have deron, howard, and brooks.

I mean what are the magic looking for anyway? The problem is there aren't. They keep playing games when all along they are trying to convince dwight to stay.

REEKO_HTOWN · Mar 13, 2012

cheke64 said: ↑

He wants to be "loved". Haven't you heard dwill diss the fans?
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Loved? I'm sure the only fans that matter to him are the ones cheering for him in his home arena (soon to be in Brooklyn)

kjayp · Mar 13, 2012

Ya know what... I dont even want DHow anymore... jus sooooo sick of all these primadonna athletes screwing over their teams.... granted, the magic shoulda been making moves to get him a better supporting cast looooong before now... but the way DHow has conducted himself in public declarations (demanding trade publicly, sayin hed rather go to NJ as a free agent, so on..)..... jus screw him... he'll never win a championship...

MourningWood · Mar 13, 2012

Wait, so if he stays put for the remainder of this season and then joins the Nets this summer, they could have a Big 4 of Deron, MarShon, Lopez, and DH12?

Got DAMN.

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[Yahoo] Dwight Howard: He’s determined to leave the Magic for the Nets,.........

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