The Orlando Magic want Dwight Howard to notify them by March 1st if he intends to stay with the team when he becomes a free agent in the summer, reports Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. If he says he plans to sign elsewhere, the Magic will then attempt to trade him prior to the March 15th deadline.

"There's a rumor circulating involving Howard," Schmitz says. In this potential trade, Orlando would send Howard, small forward Hedo Turkoglu, and point guard Jameer Nelson to the Los Angeles Lakers for All-Star big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The Toronto Raptors are also involved in the rumor, as they would send point guard José Calderón to Orlando as either part of the trade with Los Angeles or in a separate transaction.

As Schmitz notes, "there are some obvious holes in the scenario or scenarios," including what Toronto stands to gain from trading Calderón.

Howard requested a trade from Orlando during training camp, naming the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and New Jersey Nets as the three clubs to which he'd commit long-term.

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