9:38pm: A compelling reason the Rockets, Warriors and Hawks may take on Howard without knowing whether he'll re-sign is the possibility of flipping him to the Nets, says Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter links). The Rockets' continued pursuit of Howard has no bearing on their offer sheet to Omer Asik, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune hears (Twitter link).
3:55pm: While the Magic appear to be putting Howard talks on the backburner for now, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that Orlando would listen if the Nets (and presumably any other team) came forward with new proposals.
3:44pm: While Hennigan refused to share the specifics of the conversation he had with Howard today, both Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld and Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com hear that the GM told Howard: "Sorry, we tried" (Twitter links). Based on Hennigan's comments and various reports, it's clear Howard won't be dealt to the Nets, at least until January 15th. The star center could still be dealt this offseason, though the Magic GM acknowledged that D12 could open the season in Orlando.
3:13pm: Speaking to the media this afternoon, Hennigan said it's "not accurate" that the Magic have suspended trade talks, adding that the team is leaving every door open. However, the Magic GM seemed to at least acknowledge that a deal with the Nets looks very unlikely. He also said he spoke to Howard earlier today, though he declined to share the specifics (all four Twitter links).
2:46pm: The Magic have informed Dwight Howard that they are suspending trade talks involving him, reports Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com (via Twitter). According to Rudolph, GM Rob Hennigan told Howard that the team tried to make a deal, but didn't find one that Hennigan and the front office felt met the Magic's needs (Twitter link). The club will now focus on finding its new head coach.
If the Magic are done exploring a Howard trade for the time being, it almost certainly removes the Nets from the equation. Brooklyn is said to be closing in on a new contract for Brook Lopez, which would mean the center, who is the Nets' primary trade chip, couldn't be moved until at least January 15th.
The Magic were also reportedly in talks with the Lakers, Rockets, and Hawks, and it's not clear if or when the club will re-open discussions on Howard. As Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel points out (via Twitter), despite the bad blood between Howard and the Magic, Orlando would still love to have him back for next season.
As for the Magic's coaching search, Lindsey Hunter, Mike Malone, Brian Shaw, Jacque Vaughn, and Jeff Hornacek are all thought to be candidates for the opening, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
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he should stay ..
Wow…. dwightmare continues
This was the only way the day could’ve ended.
See ya’ll at the deadline!
Couldnt this just be a leverage move by the Magic? The Nets are in an tough spot with Lopez so if I was Hennigan this is what I would do. Maybe he will get lucky and the Nets will crack and do something dumb
Or maybe the Nets play it safe, hold on to Lopez(which keeps them out of the race), and Howard says he won’t re-sign with any team he’s traded to. At which point, the Magic are likely to get half the return.
God, this whole thing has been so stupid.
I see the Nets playing it safe. There just isn’t the time for Orlando to try to play hardball as the Nets need to start making other moves to protect their team. (Signing Lopez, deciding what to do with Hump). I just dont see how the Magic plan on getting a better return for Howard at a later date?!
The Nets off sucked. Houston, LA, and Atlanta could all make better offers.
yeah i mean the only thing the nets could do diffrent is offer d will .. lol .. but there really isnt much the nets could do .. they should of worked last year and earlier at maybe trading humphries and lopez for number 1 drafts picks and they never should of traded for wallace..
wow .. this is just stupid .. you would think the magic would want this to be over allready .. just deal him to the hawks for horford,teague,and some picks, or to chi town for noah,gibson and picks .. or to the thunder for ibaka,hardin,shefolasa and picks .. to houston for kmart,patterson,c lee and picks .. i mean come on let this nightmare end allready ..
Nooo
This headline (after listening to Henn’s press conf) is inaccurate. He called Dwight and apologized for not being able to trade him to Brooklyn. He also said reports that they where done trying to trade Howard where inaccurate. This is what we where expecting to hear if the Nets could not swing a deal today. They are moving one, watch Houston and LA to pick up
I don’t think it’s inaccurate. “Suspending” talks doesn’t mean they’re entirely dead. The Magic knew there was a compressed timeline for working out a deal with the Nets, and that time has passed, so they’re putting discussions on the backburner for now — it could just be a matter of weeks or days until they revisit talks with teams that don’t have the same time constraints the Nets did. Until then, they’re focusing on finding a head coach.
— Luke
just wow i guess they didnt get enough drama last season ..
I think the rockets LA 3 teamer makes more sense. I think the Magic want Neys to go away
Yea I agree I think the 3 team deal with LA/Houston/Orlando gains even more steam now that the Nets are out of the running for him.
I meant NETS
I’m a Laker fan and to be honest I dont want a guy that doesnt wanna be here or have no loyalty. this guy is a big MADONA
what do they mean listen to other offers from the nets??? there is no other offers to make .