Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dwight Howard Re-Commits To Magic For 2012/13

March 15th, 2012 at 12:54am CST by Luke Adams

Surprise! A few hours removed from reports of his latest decision, Dwight Howard has changed his mind again. In an exclusive interview with Jarrod Randolph of RealGM, Howard said he intends to waive his early termination option for 2012/13 and remain with the Magic for another season. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) confirms that Howard plans to sign the ETO waiver Thursday morning, and may also fire agent Dan Fegan.

In the last 24 hours, the Howard saga has devolved into a circus, with Dwight's flip-flopping resembling something out of a story from The Onion. First, we heard that Howard had told teammates and Magic officials that he'd opt in for the final year of his contract. Later in the day, Howard reportedly informed the team in a conference call that he hadn't finalized that decision and wouldn't commit for next season, which reignited trade talks.

You have to wonder if Howard's initial decision came before he consulted Fegan, who then advised his client not to put anything in writing yet. Howard would save some face if he fired Fegan and waived his ETO, but as Kennedy points out (on Twitter), nothing is official until Dwight puts pen to paper. For his part, Howard told Randolph that he's sorry for the circus he's put the Magic through and vows to be better going forward.

Based on everything that happened Wednesday, this saga still seems far from resolution. If Howard doesn't make his latest decision official Thursday morning, the Magic will likely continue to explore deals that send him out of town. A source tells ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Nets would be the frontrunner in that scenario, having been engaged with the Magic in trade talks late Wednesday night.

Howard Not Committing To Magic For 2012/13

March 14th, 2012 at 10:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:45pm: The Nets have sweetened their offer to the Magic, sources tell Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM. New Jersey is not sure a deal will happen, though, as Orlando has been reluctant to answer calls. (Twitter links)

10:27pm: Wojnarowski updates with a story indicating that the Magic is moving "quickly" to trade Howard, with the Nets and Rockets making pushes.

8:09pm: Multiple league executives are telling Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Magic are firm in their decision to trade Howard before tomorrow's deadline. (Twitter link)

7:53pm: Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says a spokesman for the Magic has confirmed Stein's story that Howard will not waive his ETO. (Twitter link)

7:18pm: ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting Dwight Howard has told the Magic he won't waive his early-termination option for 2012/13, and intends to test free agency this summer.

It's a reversal from his earlier indication to the team today that he would elect to stay with the Magic for the final season of his contract, which would pay him $19.57MM.

According to Stein's sources, Howard and agent Dan Fegan told the team about his latest move in a conference call with Magic CEO Alex Martins, owner Rich DeVos and members of the DeVos family before Orlando's game in San Antonio tonight. Howard said in the call that the Magic are still his first choice.

Stein reports that Howard originally said he would opt in because he "didn't fully understand the ramifications" of doing so, and felt pressure from the Magic, who told him he would be traded by the deadline tomorrow if he didn't commit to at least one more year in Orlando, the sources said.

The Magic is continuing to field offers for Howard. The team had given D12 until the end of the day to sign the paperwork declaring that he was waiving the ETO. Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that the team is not caught off guard by the latest development, citing team executives who aren't surprised by anything given Howard's waffling of late.

Dwight Howard Intends To Opt In For 2012/13

March 14th, 2012 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

6:40pm: The Magic are continuing to explore trade proposals for Howard, as the team believes he's reconsidering his decision to opt in, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Howard informed the Magic of his decision after he told three teammates about it over lunch today. (Twitter links)

5:36pm: The Magic have given Howard until the end of the day to file the ETO paperwork, reports NBA.com's David Aldridge.

4:11pm: Howard has also told several friends and family members that he plans to opt in for next season, tweets Alex Kennedy.

3:53pm: There's some confusion among Magic players as to whether Howard said he was "all-in" for this year or next, as CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports report (all four Twitter links). However, as Berger mentioned earlier (linked below), other sources are still suggesting Howard plans to opt in for next year. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says (via Twitter) Howard met with Magic brass this afternoon and informed them he would waive his ETO. For now, the Magic are continuing to explore deals for Howard, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.

3:35pm: The early termination option waiver is in Howard's possession, and he plans to sign it, a source tells Ken Berger of CBS Sports (Twitter links).

3:00pm: Dwight Howard has told teammates and Magic officials that he doesn't intend to opt out of his contract for next season, tweets Christian Burey of WFTV in Orlando. SI.com's Sam Amick confirms the report (Twitter link).

Before the Magic take Howard off the trade block, the team will require written documentation saying that Howard has waived his early termination option for 2012/13. The documents, which Orlando hasn't received yet, would need to be signed by Howard and agent Dan Fegan, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports (Twitter links).

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the Magic planned to trade Howard unless they received some sort of commitment from the superstar. While Orlando would prefer Howard to say he'll sign a long-term extension, waiving his early termination option would be enough of a commitment for the team. However, as Berger points out (via Twitter), it remains to be seen whether Fegan and Howard will surrender their summer leverage by putting D12's verbal decision in writing.

If Howard makes the decision official, it would allow the Magic an additional year to surround their star center with reinforcements. The team would have the opportunity to pursue free agents this summer, and many Magic players would become slightly more movable with their contracts one year closer to expiring.

If Howard doesn't officially opt in and ends up leaving Orlando via free agency this summer, I think it's safe to say today's verbal commitment could become an even bigger PR misstep than LeBron James' "Decision."

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

March 14th, 2012 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Even after an impressive overtime win by the Magic against the Heat last night, the post-game focus was on the off-court story: Dwight Howard's future. As we covered in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors, D12 told reporters he'd like the Magic to keep him for the rest of the season and "roll the dice" this summer. Considering earlier Tuesday reports indicated that Howard's long-term plan involves signing with the Nets as a free agent so New Jersey doesn't have to trade core assets, Dwight's suggestion that Orlando roll the dice seemed particularly brash.

Zach Lowe of SI.com called Howard's post-game speech the low point of the ongoing saga, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that some Magic executives were privately disgusted with the star center's comments. We expect plenty more updates to pour in as the day goes on, so we'll track them all here, with the latest items up top:

The Knicks are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Howard, but won't offer Carmelo Anthony, since James Dolan "loves him," tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. I'd say that takes New York out of the running, since the Magic wouldn't be nearly as interested in an Amare Stoudemire/Tyson Chandler package.
There are no legs to the rumor that the Magic are working on a three-team deal to bring in Josh Smith (linked below), tweets Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com.
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Nets would be open to offering the Magic anything they want for Howard, with the exception of Deron Williams.
Orlando still seems to be entertaining deals that could bring in help around Howard, as Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reports that they're eyeing the Hawks' Josh Smith. The Magic would need to get a third team involved, perhaps the Timberwolves and Michael Beasley. Given Orlando's lack of tradeable assets, acquiring Smith seems like an extreme long shot to me.
The Magic are telling teams they intend to move Howard if they don't receive a commitment beyond this season from Dwight, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. We have the details here.
Nets sources insist the team would give up assets in the next 24 hours if it meant landing Howard, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains why New Jersey may not be motivated to make a substantial offer. If Howard and Williams sign in Brooklyn this summer, the pair would want a third significant player to join them, and the Nets may be considering saving its trade chips to acquire that player.

Magic Seeking Commitment From Dwight Howard

March 14th, 2012 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic are telling teams they will trade Dwight Howard by the deadline if Howard doesn't make a commitment to staying in Orlando past this season, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

"Dwight's dreaming if he thinks Orlando won't trade him without a commitment,'' a source told Broussard. "He needs to make some small commitment to them. They're saying it can't be one way.''

Although the Magic would prefer to lock Howard up long-term, they would settle for D12 opting into the final year of his contract and staying for 2012/13. However, Howard hasn't shown that he's even willing to do that, leading to increased tension between the team and Howard's camp. Sources tell Broussard that the Magic are "incensed" with agent Dan Fegan, who they feel is leading the charge to convince the star center to leave Orlando.

The Magic were also upset over Howard's "roll the dice" comments after last night's game, and according to Broussard, Orlando has essentially invited teams to make their best offers. The ideal situation for the Magic would be creating a bidding war the Nets and Lakers, Broussard writes in a separate piece. Orlando would also be interested in a package of Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, but there's no indication the Knicks would make such an offer, particularly without assurances about Howard's long-term future.

You can find the rest of today's Howard updates here.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Tuesday

March 13th, 2012 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports from both ESPN.com and CBS Sports yesterday indicated that the Magic continue to try to surround Dwight Howard with talent in an effort to get him to stay in Orlando. If Howard remains noncommittal, the Magic are expected to re-evaluate their options tomorrow, with about 24 hours remaining before the trade deadline. So for today at least, the Magic seem more likely to discuss deals that don't involve their star center. Still, the Howard rumors continue to trickle in, and we'll keep tabs on Tuesday's items here, with the latest added to the top throughout the day:

Michael Wallace of ESPN reports that Howard has informed the Magic that he intends to stay for the rest of the season, and that the Magic must now "roll the dice." (Twitter link)
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that GM Otis Smith said during the Magic-Heat game that nothing is imminent, but implied that he won't rule anything out.
Magic CEO Alex Martins says that there are several teams willing to take on Howard as a rental without assurances that he'll stay, tweets Brian K. Schmitz.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron-Beacon Journal spoke with a few people around the league who have a feeling that the Magic will likely move Dwight within the next 24 hours. (Twitter link)
The Magic appear to be a team that currently has no deals to make other than one that involves Howard on his way out of Orlando, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Owner Rich DeVos told reporters that he does not believe anything major was going to happen.
Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that Howard has not informed Magic CEO Alex Martins of whether or not he plans to stay or go during the offseason. John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com quoted Martins (via Twitter): "If you're asking whether we’ve decided to hang onto him or trade him, we haven’t made that decision yet."

Nets Remain Offseason Frontrunner For Howard

March 13th, 2012 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Whether or not the Magic decide to trade Dwight Howard this week, Howard himself still intends to sign with the Nets this summer, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Howard's desire to avoid confrontation and to be liked have led Dwight to let the Magic believe they have chance to re-sign him.

"Dwight’s gone, and [Magic CEO] Alex Martins is the only person who doesn’t believe that," a source with knowledge of Howard's intentions told Wojnarowski.

While Howard has privately been telling people he could be convinced to stay if the Magic bring in help around him, Wojnarowski calls that possiblity a long shot. As the Warriors' stance on Monta Ellis exhibits, any team that believes it may have a chance to sign Howard in free agency won't be inclined to agree to a trade that improves the Magic's chances of keeping him.

Wojnarowski also points to a growing belief that Howard doesn't want to push for a trade that would force his new team to give up core assets for him. One official who has talked with the Magic, Nets, and agents involved in the process told Wojnarowski: "Dwight is going to [expletive] them (the Magic), and that will be especially true if he doesn’t even ask for the sign-and-trade on July 1st, because he wants Brooklyn to keep assets."

According to Wojnarowski, the Nets are confident enough about signing Howard this summer that they won't feel pressured to make an aggressive trade offer for D12 this week. New Jersey has reportedly expressed interest in Boris Diaw's $9MM expiring contract as a way of clearing cap space to sign Howard, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez this offseason.

For the rest of today's updates on Howard, check out our complete round-up.

Warriors Owner Wants Howard In Ellis Deal

March 13th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

12:11pm: The Warriors have turned down the Magic's various trade proposals and talks have ended for now, tweets Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. Presumably if the Magic put Howard on the table in the next couple days, the Warriors would be interested in reopening discussions.

11:16am: Monta Ellis was at the center of a major trade rumor yesterday, as reports suggested the Warriors were engaged with the Magic and Hornets about a possible three-way deal that would have sent Ellis to Orlando. However, multiple outlets, including ESPN.com and the Bay Area News Group, reiterated what's been an ongoing stance from the Warriors in recent weeks — Golden State isn't interested in trading Ellis unless it gets Dwight Howard in return.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports expands on this stance, noting that Warriors owner Joe Lacob has no desire to send Ellis to Orlando for non-Howard assets (Twitter link). The hope on Orlando's part is that acquiring Ellis would mean Howard commits to at least one more season with the Magic. But Lacob, who would badly like to acquire Howard himself, wants to preserve the Warriors' chances of acquiring D12, however slim those chances may be (Twitter link). Golden State is highly unlikely to participate in any deal that would improve the Magic's odds of retaining its star center.

While I tend to believe Ellis could still be had in the right deal that doesn't involve the Magic and Howard, it appears the Warriors aren't expecting to make a major trade before Thursday's deadline.

Andrew Bogut Rumors: Tuesday

March 13th, 2012 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported last night that the Rockets, Warriors, and Wizards were all pursuing an acquisition of Andrew Bogut. The Rockets have since backed off, according to Berger, but the Bucks still seem to be talking Bogut, with a decision on the big man potentially affecting Brandon Jennings' future as well. Let's track today's Bogut updates here, with the newest items up top:

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains that Jennings' future could be tied to Bogut's because one offer for Bogut has the Bucks getting a "solid" point guard in return. However, Milwaukee is asking a lot for both players, and most teams aren't interested at the Bucks' price (Twitter links).
The Warriors aren't expecting to make a blockbuster deal this week, reports Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. While Golden State is considering making a play for Bogut, his ankle injury and the potential inclusion of Stephen Jackson in any deal diminishes the Warriors' interest.
Berger's Bogut-to-the-Warriors scenario had Monta Ellis heading out of Golden State in any deal, but Thompson and Peter Vecsey of the New York Post both suggest that may not be the case. Thompson says the Warriors still don't want to trade Ellis for anyone besides Dwight Howard, while Vecsey says it's Stephen Curry, not Ellis, who is being discussed in a potential Bogut trade.
Meanwhile, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) that the rumored Warriors/Bucks/Magic talks never even took place.

Odds & Ends: Sixers, Martin, Jennings

March 12th, 2012 at 8:47pm CST by Michael Pina

Sixers president Rod Thorn says Philadelphia will likely be quiet at the trade deadline, according to the Philadelphia Daily News’ Bob Cooney. When you combine Evan Turner‘s recent transformation into a serious impact starter with the eventual return of injured center Spencer Hawes, who was playing the best basketball of his career before going down, the 76ers aren’t exactly in a position of need. Any trade could screw up one of the league’s most symbiotic rosters.

Rockets guard Kevin Martin says he’s frustrated with his up and down play as of late, and knows it could be the difference as to what team he’s on by the end of March, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. The loss of Kyle Lowry, who’s out at least two weeks with a bacterial infection, may have an impact on whether or not the Rockets choose to move Martin. If they want to make the playoffs this year, they can’t afford to remove their starting backcourt from the equation and expect to compete on a nightly basis.
Brandon Jennings appears to be flustered by an SI report earlier this week that said he was available “for the right price.”
In a column over at Hoopsworld.com, Joel Brigham says that Dwight Howard should be dealt to Chicago, but the Bulls will never pull the trigger. In the piece, Brigham criticizes Chicago for over-valuing its homegrown talent. He cites the team’s refusal to go after Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett in year’s past as evidence that it’s unlikely they’ll make a rightful run at Howard before Thursday’s deadline.
ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg tweets some interesting words from Celtics GM Danny Ainge says “there’s nothing going on right now” and that “we need another big body for sure, at some point.” The words seem to mean that if Boston doesn’t swing a deal before the deadline, they’ll either pursue someone from the D-league or a bought out player. Injuries to Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox have depleted the team’s front court.