Monday, March 12th, 2012 at 9:00 am  |  144 responses

Report: Dwight Howard Blocking Potential Magic/Bulls Trade


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Nearly everyone agrees that should Dwight Howard elect not to make a long-term commitment to the Orlando Magic — a growing possibility — the Chicago Bulls would be one of the better fits for the big fella going forward.

The problem is that Dwight hasn’t been very open to the idea of teaming up with Derrick Rose in the Windy City. Last week, he even told reporters that he couldn’t picture himself living in Chicago because the town is too cold for his liking.

According to CBS Sports, the Orlando Magic would like to work on a deal that would send Howard to Chicago, but the problem is that Dwight doesn’t seem all that interested:

The Orlando Magic would like to seriously engage the Bulls in trade talks for Dwight Howard, but the All-Star center’s apparent reluctance to make a long-term commitment to Chicago has all but killed the discussions, league sources said. [...] “He’s telling everyone he’s leaving,” one league source said Sunday.

Magic executives are said to be unimpressed with the assets Howard’s three preferred teams could provide in a trade, prompting them to engage in a calculated campaign to expand the field of potential suitors beyond the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers. But the team that can make the strongest case for Orlando to depart from its risky strategy of holding onto Howard are the Bulls, who could offer 7-footer Omer Asik, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said. The Bulls also could offer a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte — top-14 protected in this year’s draft but but unprotected by 2016. Such a scenario has gained no traction since Chicago is “not on his list,” a person familiar with the situation said of Howard. Without assurances from Howard or his camp that he’d be willing to sign long-term with the Bulls, Chicago executives have exhibited no appetite for trade talks with the Magic. The two teams have spoken, but there’s “no type of serious discussions” going on, a person familiar with the situation said.

Is the proposed package from Chicago really the best offer that Orlando could get for the League’s best center?

With less than a week remaining until the NBA’s Trade Deadline, Dwight Howard appears to be holding all of the cards in this situation. The Magic would be taking a massive risk by keeping him until he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the teams Dwight is interested in don’t have the assets Orlando desires.

It must not be any fun to be working in the Orlando Magic front-office these days.

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  • Drig

    Would Noah be playing at PF position??? Then who the hell is the front-court backup for the Bulls?

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    Taj Gibson.

  • T-Money

    BossTerry – He would be there for 20 games.

  • Drig

    Oh yeah. Rest of the L, you screwed. Love, Drig and Lake Show. If Dwight ends up with the Bulls, that’d make them a matchup nightmare for anyone but LAL and Utah on the inside……….

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    @T-Money – the Bulls missed on Lebron, Wade, and Bosh because those ladies planned on playing with each other in Miami all along. And they didn’t get Amare or JJ because they weren’t willing to match their insanely overpriced contracts. I don’t think any of those situations is the Bulls’ fault. As for Hill and Mcgrady, that was 10 years ago and an old regime.

  • BullsFan

    D12 doesn’t wanna come to Chicago because of the cold weather!!!? that tells u jus where his priorities are.. y go to the Nets ( who were his 1st choice) that are arguably the worst team in the NBA than play for team who w/o you are championship contenders… 6 years frm now wen he’s playing for the Nets and fighting for 8th in the east he’s going to wish he went to Chicago

  • http://SLAMONLINE.COM Gab

    Dam im a Heat fan but i cant front Dwight to the Bulls is pretty scary.

  • Tyquan

    The trade would be cool if Dwight Howard get off his high horse and just committ to playing in Chicago for the next 4 to 5 years realize that playing with arguably the best point guard in the NBA is not such a bad idea in fact they actually like maybe potentially win a title or at least compete for one. The fact that its too cold is a crock I mean nobody is telling him to sell his house or dwelling situation in sunny Florida I mean the trade makes so much sense for both teams personally I think that its the best offer Orlando can get without missing a beat. Chicago should keep Boozer and trade Noah instead tho but that’s just me.

  • http://www.michaelcho.com M Cho

    At the end of their careers, Rose will be remembered as a fierce competitor who lead his team to championships. Dwight will be remembered as a cheerful guy who won a dunk contest and did some mediocre celebrity impressions.

  • bull22

    @ricksmitsmullet, funny. yeah rose needs the help scoring wise for sure.

  • Rik Smits Mullet

    @bull22
    certainly looked that way last playoffs against the heat.

  • Kilo

    I don’t wanna win a title their cause its kinda chilly.

  • http://www.t-mac.com/tmac/index unf*ckwitable

    Too cold? GTFOH f*cking addidas.

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    All of these reports have contradicted themselves. He doesn’t want to play in the cold of Chicago but would play in Brooklyn? He doesn’t want to be the second fiddle but the Heat interest him? He doesn’t want to play for a team that’s not willing to spend a lot but the Clippers have his attention? He doesn’t want to play with a player as serious as Rose but he’d play with Kobe in LA?

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Adidas’s running things.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    All of these reports are false. They just attract attention. Which should be obvious considering As Diesel said, they all contradict previous reports from “sources” – y’all are like puppets believing all of this and hating Dwight for it.

  • ripslam

    Dwight is an idiot. He’s the polar opposite of Rose, too. All he cares about is his money and image.

  • salty

    Haha Rik, the people here would love Jimmer to play for the Jazz. When the Kings/Jazz play you’d think the Kings were the home team. All the highlights on the local news are just about how Jimmer did and all the fans are cheering him and s***. It’s a shameful sight (but that’s because I’m a University of Utah alum…BYU’s mortal enemy.)

  • http://www.nba.com Red

    Dwight is a douche. He keeps doing this & it’s affecting his teammates I’m sure.

  • http://nyill.wordpress.com O

    How does Dwight and Rose both being Adidas spokesmen hurt sales again? Can someone break that doesn for me?

  • salty

    O: Because then the sales of their merchandise get consolidated specifically to the Bulls fans. If you have two star players in different cities, however, you’ve just broadened the # of people who will buy their jersey or whatever.

  • depzilladepzilla

    Dwight Howard is the best center in the NBA hands down.
    Derrick Rose is the best PG in the NBA hands down. You can view this from two sides.
    If Dwight signs with bulls for 3 years with the 4th year option. They win at least 1 championship. option #2 sign with The nets trying to become a contender in 4 years time. My answer is to keep the team the bulls have and worry about getting past Miami. Let Dwight sign with a team that prefers his dance moves over being a better free throw shooter.

  • ripslam

    ^That is the first time I have ever heard of that being a problem. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are all Nike athletes (Wade is Jordan Brand anyway), Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are also both Nike, Kevin Durant/Russ Westbrook, etc. etc. I guess it’s just Adidas, but that’s still ridiculous. Nike isn’t exactly struggling to sell merchandise for their endorsers, either (they posted the highest profit margins in company history last year). Maybe if Adidas could actually attract more superstars, they wouldn’t have to resort to this.
    -
    I’m extra salty today, as you can see. Haha.

  • ClydeSays

    Can’t see what that gets Orlando (haven’t seen much of Asik, Deng & Boozer are talented, but inconsistent & injury prone) beside a low 1st round pick. If I’m Orlando, I look for a better deal. Multiple picks and at least 1 solid young big seems like the absolute minimum they should be looking for.

    If Chicago can get that deal done, props to them. That sets them up nicely to pick up another FA in the offseason…

  • http://www.nba.com Red

    Rose & Howard both have their own shoes with Adidas. Chris Paul has a signature shoe, Blake doesn’t. KD has a sign. shoe, Russ doesn’t. Wade’s shoe is garbage, James has a shoe & Bosh doesn’t. That’s why.

  • salty

    ripslam: I think that’s what it is man. Nike has their tentacles is so much stuff it doesn’t really matter. I think for a company like Adidas it’s a little more of an issue because they aren’t the Goliath that Nike is. I don’t know though, that’s just my interpretation.

  • http://nyill.wordpress.com O

    Good looking on shedding light on Adidasgate, fellas…

  • ripslam

    Blake, Bosh, and Russ all have player-exclusive Hyperdunks/Hyperfuses available to buy. Not the same as a sig, but still.

  • http://www.nba.com Red

    Exactly, not the same at all.

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    I’m starting to get sick of hearing the name “Dwight Howard”

  • BostonBaller

    blah blah blah. SLAM gets the scoop: Where else did you first read about Brittney “The Beast” Griner & Elena Delle “The” Donne?? Both just spoke about the Tourney and I hope their teams meet up!!

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    BREAKING NEWS!!
    Howard is going to the Heat!!

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    Nah, just playing…

  • http://www.nba.com Red

    I heard about that, if he did.. smh.

  • B-Wright

    Makes no sense that Dwight would rather go to Brooklyn than play with Derrick Rose on a contender. I’ve been sick of this guy since he started doing impressions in every media appearance (and since talking heads started telling him he was *good at impressions*). Ship the guy to Canada and call it a day.

  • http://www.thetvstop,com jjc

    Anybody who asks the question why would he want to play in the cold is a complete moron. Basketball is played INDOORS, he isn’t playing in he cold regardless of what city he is in.

    If he wants to win, there is NO other team in the east with a better shot at providing him a championship, that simple. Not gonna sit here and debate this issue, stats speak for itself. How many games has any other team won with 2-3 bench players starting for 97% of your season? I rest my case.

  • http://Roosterteeth.com Caboose

    -Obligatory Dwight hate post-
    Dwight has been putting in work lately, showing effort he rarely did earlier this season. I’ll call it: he’s not being traded this season. He’ll walk and the Magic will get cap space.

  • Justin G.

    B-Wright, it makes sense because he’s not actually about winning. Conflicting reports aside, it’s not the first time it’s come up either. That was one of the things supposedly said at the beginning of the year. Ultimately it comes down to what you want to believe. I never believe the “sources close to the situation” and “people close to Dwight say…” crap. It’s the same reason that magazines like Us and Star are so full of it too. There are no real sources, it’s just a story to get people to read their site. Makes SLAM look like nothing more than a gossip column at times when they choose to run this stuff

  • RedRum

    hhmm… I don’t get people criticizing DH… We all screamed and yelled when Lebron sided with Wade and Bosh to create a super team, took the easy way towards the chip. At the same time people criticize DH because he does not want to pair with Rose. DH obviously want to be The Man at his team. Bulls are Rose’s team, period. It will always be. Even if Dwight wins 5 rings there, it will be Rose’s rings. I just don’t understand why the double standard. I guess people do not see DH as a franchise player at the same level as Lebron/Kobe/Rose? Maybe, but his ego says otherwise. I think it is healthy that he wants to play for the Nets or any other team that he will be The Man. This is what we want from our stars. We want to see stars competing not playing together. If you ask me he should stay at Orlando, pushing for any changes he deems necessary (probably coaching change…). Again, think about the double standard.

  • http://SLAM FLIGHT 9

    u want to be the MAN!!!!??? the just sigh with ur team jerk!!!

  • http://slamonline.com Jones

    Chi and Orl both need to make trades. Rip has been such a disappointed due to his injuries and Orl has just taken steps back since 2009. As gutsy as Drose is, the Heat have only gotten better since last season and the Bulls just dont have enough offence to beat them in a 7 seven game series unless Rose really can play like the best PG in the world every game. Bulls and Magic gotta make a move.

  • http://SLAM FLIGHT 9

    Look Dwight, if you really want to be the man and have a shot at winning a chip, just sign with Orlando and just shut up and practice reading the double team and your inconsistent free throw. Adding a jump shot wouldn’t hurt either. Then just add some free agents and tell STAN to resign period.

  • dan

    dwight howard is a funny guy and a very good player. but he is also an idiot. i mean it without insulting him. he is a moron. but i like him anyway :D

  • Pingback: NBA Rumors: Why Orlando Magic Were Foolish to Think Dwight Howard Would Stay | Orlando Florida

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