Report: Dwight Howard Blocking Potential Magic/Bulls Trade

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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Tags: Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic

Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.

Detroit Dave

If this story is true, I’ve come to the conclusion that Dwight Howard simply does not care about winning a championship.
Charles

This guy is a joke.
http://www.thesmashbrtohas.com zen garden

dwight should change his name tooooo snitch richmond
Otis

What an effing toolbox.
underdog

Well, he wants to play in the Lakers, I guess. Although Chicago would be a monster team with him, even with the loss of Deng.
http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

It’s too cold? Really? And Brooklyn is… what, tropical? One word: Adidas. No sympathy for him anymore, they set him up for a great team and a great coach and he doesn’t want it. It is his choice and he has the freedom to go where he wants, but I don’t want to hear anymore Dwight stories ever again. Which is impossible because there are like 3 a day.
timbo slice

this guy doesnt wanna win,

i hope that doesnt go through though, turkoglu ruins every team hes on
jr724

Lost all respect for this guy. He clearly doesn’t care about Orlando’s best interest. I know he has to look out for himself, but holding the team hostage to make a move is sad. Seems like all he cares about is fame and endorsement deals. If he walks for nothing in the summer, Orlando fans will have every right to boo him on every possession.
Drig

That’s highway robbery ……..for the Bulls…..That’s like 60 cents for a Dollar!
AD

if you guys dnt see that he wants to play for bk… then you obviously blind
Drig

I mean as a C who would you prefer to play with : Deron ( who’s a better fit for him than Rose ) and a chance to be 1-a and 1-b in the media or LA/CHI where he’s gonna be potrayed as the second option to Rose??
GoHeat

The reason he does not want to go to Chicago is because he doesn’t want to play with DRose. You all saw how stern, no emotion, have no fun DRose was at the ALLSTAR game while Dwight is a complete goofball who lets to let loose with his teammates. HAve you ever saw that with the Magic? It would be awkward in Chicago.

He wants to go somewhere where he can have fun and be himself, and have a chance to win. Much like LeBron really. GO HEAT

The stars on Dallas, LA, and NJ are more laid back than DRose. Yes Kobe, Yes DWill, Yes Dirk, etc.
http://www.slamonline.com Jahmai

Why does it always have to be a Batman/Robin situation, where one is the top dog, what about the Avengers? That would be Rose and Dwight.
T-Money

how dare he decide where he is going to ply his trade based on what will make him happier? man… fans need to stop with this ish. we’re talking about people’s lives, their comfort level. the man doesn’t want to play for/in chicago – that’s his decision. why does he need to justify anything? ya’ll didn’t seem to like it very much when lebron made a decision that was about winning (and not money (cle) or fame (ny)), eh?
quest

they take ball too seriously in chicago theres not enough dancing for him, turkgolu would play really well with derrick rose imo if you think about how athletic rose is and turks skill set.
T-Money

jr724 – if he walks out for nothing, that’s orlando’s fault. he gave them the courtesy of telling them well in advance that he didn’t want to re-up. now he has to agree to sign an extension for the team that can offer orlando the most? are you serious with this? orlando is playing dumb on purpose so that dwight has to come out again publicly and say that he doesn’t want to be in orlando. that way, the whole fan base can rally around hating dwight and forget the mess of a roster that otis smith came up with. dwight’s stance has not changed since december: he is not going to re-sign with orlando, if orlando wants to get something back they can trade him before the deadline and if not, he will sign with brooklyn this summer. that’s more than fair.
http://www.newyorkshockexchange.com Shock Exchange

Would it be more appropriate to wait until Howard signs a contract with Orlando or with another team before blogging about this ad nauseaum. This is rivaling the media speculation of where Melo was going to land. What can the public do to make this stop?
quest

second thought he would clog up the lane for rose too much
eyal

yup, if he doesn’t want to team up with Rose, sounds like Adidas has their hand in it…
AD

lol @quest… you must not have seen boozer making rap videos…. ppl deron n dwight is a better combo than drose &dwight. Not by much but deron is a better playmaker. I can see dwight landing in BK this year, and then wilson chandler going to BK next year.. The only thing is that orlando does not like Lopez which would mean Orlando will be taking marshon for sure which is the nets future scorer. It will be interesting to see where dwight will end up but i dnt think its chicago or LAL
…

Well it’s coming down to The Mavs and Nets. Williams will go back to his hometown of Dallas and Howard will join him there. Dirk, Deron, and Dwight. 3D vs the Heat 3? I’ll take the 3D Mavs on that one.
T-Money

quest – yes, just like shaq clogged the lane for penny, kobe, d-wade, nash, lebron, and rondo. these guys were not able to get to the rim at all when they played with shaq.
jr724

@T-Money: I totally understand that he’s given Orlando a heads up, and Otis has really screwed the pooch in terms of bringing in players to keep Dwight happy. It just seems that more recently, Dwight has put the Magic in a tough position by limiting them in what deals they can make. I understand he can choose where he wants to go, but I feel like he’s not really showing much of a concern for what Orlando will get in return. I think I should’ve said that if Otis presents Dwight multiple trade options that are very reasonable, Dwight rejects, AND he walks for nothing in the summer… Then fans have a right to be angry. I probably overreacted on that point. he has every right to leave, just try not to cripple the franchise’s future too. But right now fans should be upset with Smith on his inability to attract talent or find a good deal.
bullsallday

GoHeat, you’re an idiot since when is the NBA about having fun? It’s a professional career, its about doing you’re job, which is winning a championship for your team and fans. Obviously with the behavior Dwight displays he wants no part of that. However, if he “wants to have fun” and “be .a goofball” than I know a couple of comedy clubs that are hiring.
Jer Dawg

He’s acting like Terrell Owens now. I have no respect for this guy as a person anymore. He flip flops, hangs out with porn stars, does stupid impersonations, and has no Christian values anymore. Pro sports makes people do bad things, but he’s great player and we say okay to all his bitching and moaning. Stay away from Los Angeles, please. Except Clippers. I hope he f*** up their team chemistry. And Sterling and his racist ways can go back to being perennial losers.
Canesta

Each day that goes by I lose more and more respect for him..
Ken

And so Deng, Boozer, and Asik are better than Bynum, MWP, and draft picks? Idk, I think I’d take the only one with superstar potential
hushabomb

No way would Hedo play well with Rose. He didn’t play well with Nash in Phoenix. He is a point forward. He doesn’t play off the ball well.

And I’ve always hated that the players tell owners where they wanna play. Whilst you must be a professional, you are also an employee. If you get traded, that’s it.
http://slamonline.com datkid

Dwight knows he and d.rose won’t play well together. Deron is a superior playmaker, and a superior overall player IMO. rose is still awesome tho lol… and cosign T-money @ 10:04 why shouldn’t he make a decision based on how happy he’ll be? and the more I think about it, the more I realize how well Deron, Dwight and Dirk would play together.
T-Money

jr724 – so you’re asking dwight to agree to sign an extension with a team just to accomodate orlando? wtf? if a team wants to get dwight, they can. he doesn’t owe them an extension. that’s precisely what new jersey did. they traded for deron, deron never asked to go there. and if it works out, he’ll sign again this summer. diwght doesn’t have a veto or anything, he’s just saying that he will only sign an extension with jersey.
ab40

Dwight, Gibson, Turk, Hamilton and Rose… Where’s the D. He wants to play with a more complete two guard that’s all he’s asking for. If orlando can get Monta he might even stay put. Look there are no shooters in chicago who can play serious minutes Scalabrine? Korver? They get killed. He wants a perfect fit.. the problem is there is none.
bull22

we cannot lose deng, he is more committed to the city of chicago and the bulls
then howard who is so prissy that he does not want to be the cold weathered city. if howard does not care about the fans in orlando then he will care less
about the bulls fans.
jr724

@T-Money: Nope never said “just to accomodate Orlando”. He just shouldn’t narrow the list of teams he will sign an extension with to so few teams. That is what will hurt Orlando. Obviously nobody wants him without the extension, so he’s giving them very few options. He doesn’t have to bend over backwards for the Magic, but there should be some consideration.
AD

dwight can win a championship in 2 years with the nets… Dwill , dwight and wilson chandler is better than the heat trio.
http://dsjfkl.com Jukai

T-Money: Just like Dwight has the right to go where he wants and do what is right for him, the fans have a right to be angry. It’s a two way street, dude.
I don’t care, really, I have no affinity for the magic and I’d prefer to see him in Brooklyn. But them the ropes.
T-Money

jr724: i can’t believe that you truly believe this. did utah give any consideration to where deron wanted to play before trading him to jersey? i’m pretty sure he would have preferred his hometown of dallas or the lakers. to me, dwight’s only moral obligation was to inform orlando of his thinking once his mind was made up. he did that. orlando could trade him right now for monta ellis and david lee – gstate doesn’t need dwight to sign the extension right now. bottom line is this: it’s up to orlando to figure out what they want to do with dwight now that they know he isn’t coming back. and if they want to gamble, then they can gamble. kobe and duncan ended up staying.
robb

I’m almost a Dwight hater
bull22

boozer,deng,noah,asik and korver have earned the right to take another shot at the miami heat with this team. scottie pippen,horace grant and john paxson did not become heroes overnight(major contributors) dwight really is wrecking his credibility as a classy player.
MookieBlaylock

The only thing that sort of bothers me about him wanting out is that the magic are 3rd in the east… Idk, I realize they arent really legit contenders, but not every team in the east can contend every year. is ORL really that far off? They were in the finals a few years ago ffs. It’s not like hes wasting away playing for the raptors or wizards. Hes still young. What if this “blockbuster trade” is a bust? Melo shoulda stayed in Denver imo, but hindsight is 20/20…
Otis

@T-Money: you’re dead right, of course, but as sports fans I guess we have an expectation – perhaps an overly idealistic one, but still – that a player’s ultimate goal is a championship. Not to spend a pleasant 10 years goofing around in a sunny city with your friends while raking in the endorsement dollars.

Of course, none of us are Dwight Howard, so we can’t really say how we’d react if we were put in the same situation, but Chicago would be a fantastic fit for him, and the fact that he’s refusing the trade – apparently because of a shoe company – is pretty disappointing. It kinda goes against everything fans expect from sport, which in turn undermines the whole idea of *watching* sport.

As for LeBron, he’s a different story, if only because he’s the most insanely talented player on the planet, and going to Miami to play with Wade looked like the easy way out. (And, of course, there was The Decision, which didn’t exactly endear him to anyone.)
jr724

@T-Money: That’s assuming teams are willing to trade for him without agreeing to an extension. If gstate would do that, great, make the trade. I’m just saying if teams wont trade for him without an extension, the list of possible trades is cut down quickly to a couple. And of course limiting what Orlando can do. If that’s truly what the situation is like, then I personally think Dwight should be more flexible. Of course he doesn’t have to be, he can do what he wants.
patrick

If chicago is doing this without guarantee of an extension, it seems like the greatest option. Orlando gets its something in return and Dwight gets to go to a contender then choose his team in the offseason. Seems like a win all around.
hyperactive

It`s not the Chicago weather, it`s something else because NJ is also cold. @GoHeat you may be on to something because it show aint the weather that`s holding him back. I don`t know what this writer/reporter is talking about. That reasoning doesn`t make any sense even for howard. on the other hand, why h*** would orlando accept just deng, boozer, and asik – a couple injury prone players and a back up center for howard? I would take everybody except rose especially noah. I really don`t like what chicago even has to offer outside of noah though. Chicago is offering some good, solid players but no one you can build around. NJ really wants howard, and they will give some future 1st rounders – they just playing hardball rite now.
http://www.reverbnation.com/tray24 T-Ray

Ta f*ck man really?!
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

Lebron chose Miami because he wanted to win??? That’s why he chose a team with two giant holes at the two most important positions over a Bulls team taylor made for him with solid players at every position? Don’t confuse wanting to be in South Beach and playing with your friends over wanting the best chance to win.
kj

Who needs Howard?? Chicago sure dont need him!!! They will win a championship before howard will…Howard been a big cry baby and Bulls dont need no cry baby cuz he wont last long in the cold…chicago needs a shooting guard that is young and not afraid to drive to the lane…keep the front line of chicago just get a better shooting guard..like beasely or ellis from golden state
Mike G

let’s just keep it all the way real. I’m a Magic fan since day 1. Will always root for them no matter what. This dude Dwight is a head case. He wants to go to Brooklyn. Last time I checked, its cold there too. He wants out cause he’s not willing to play for Vangundy anymore. Last time I checked, Avery Johnson has been known to get on players too. Bottom line, he’s gonna walk and we need the best offer possible. Dwight may not be serious about a chip, but is our GM Otis Smith? JRich for Gortat? Gilbert on one leg? Not championship moves. This thing is a mess. I say send him and Turk to NY for Melo & Chandler.
Drig

@Mookie……with stricter cap enforcement from ’14 and no tradeable assets for the Magic to either get young players or stash picks, they’d be in no man’s land for alteast the next 4 years. And that’s being kind.
http://aol max johnson

This conversation about what Dwight wants etc. is so wrong.First of all as a Bulls Fan I personally think they have a team that can beat the heat!PROVIDING THEY ARE HEALTHY. But I think Hamilton needs to go.Dead weight.He is not dependable.Why did the Bulls take this guy anyway?He came to the Bulls injured.WTH!Let the Bulls play it out the rest of the season.Hopefully they will be healthy.IF they are they win it all!
MookieBlaylock

you dont think they could build around daniel orton? Haha, K I’m done. Good point Drig.

Report: Dwight Howard Blocking Potential Magic/Bulls Trade

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