Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote last night that the Magic would seek a Carmelo Anthony-esque haul if they decided to trade Dwight Howard. The teams on Howard's list of preferred destinations may have difficulty putting together such a package, but plenty of other clubs, such as the Hawks, Warriors, and Rockets, are still in the hunt. We'll follow today's Howard rumblings right here, with the latest updates at the top of the page:
- The Magic leaked the Thunder's interest in Howard just to let other teams know that a price similar to the package of James Harden and Serge Ibaka is what Orlando is looking for, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that the Magic executives are not at odds over Brook Lopez, who is in the discussion because the Nets are Howard's favored destination. Question remains, however, about whether team CEO Alex Martins or GM Otis Smith has final say on a deal.
- Robbins also tweets that the only way Howard would agree to a sign-and-trade is if the team he wants to go to does not have enough cap space for him.
- Sam Amick of SI.com shares some Howard updates in his latest column, noting that the Bulls have been "quietly deliberating" a play for D12 all season, but won't pursue him without assurances he'd remain in Chicago. Amick also hears that Magic GM Otis Smith isn't seriously interested in anyone the Warriors could offer for Howard.
- Howard's list of teams is becoming somewhat irrelevant at this point, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. If the Magic get a serious offer from a team besides the Mavericks, Lakers, or Nets, they're just as likely to pull the trigger as they would be with one of those clubs.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel can't see any sort of trade with the Hawks working. He doesn't think Howard would re-sign in Atlanta if dealt there, and he doesn't think the Magic could acquire Josh Smith without giving up Howard — even if they could, he's not sure the presence of Smith convinces D12 to stay in Orlando (Twitter links).
- Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel (Twitter link) also doesn't see the Hawks as a fit for Howard, saying the hometown team "offers no allure" for the Atlanta native. He adds that the Magic want Kyle Lowry from the Rockets in any Howard deal.
- The Magic talked to the Thunder about Howard, but Oklahoma City balked at giving up James Harden and Serge Ibaka, reports Schmitz (via Twitter). While that's entirely understandable, the idea of Howard playing with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, even if it's just for two months, is pretty fun, isn't it?
- It was reported yesterday that Otis Smith has talked to "all 29 teams" about Howard, but Schmitz tweets that only six to eight are serious — the other GMs just want to tell their owners they've called.