The Orlando Magic are one of the four teams to which Dwight Howard would consider committing long-term, according to a sourced report from ESPN's Chris Broussard, further indicating the team's franchise center may not have decided to leave Orlando after all. Howard's decision will come down to Orlando, the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Jersey Nets, Broussard says; no other teams are in the running.
Not coincidentally, those three other teams may discuss potential trades regarding Howard with Dan Fegan, Howard's agent, as Orlando granted them permission to do so.
Otis Smith, the Magic's President of Basketball Operations, rocked the NBA landscape over the weekend when he confirmed Howard had requested last Monday and Tuesday that the Magic trade him. At the team's annual Media Day on Monday, Howard strongly softened his stance on wanting out. "There's no place I would rather be than here in Orlando," he said. "If you're willing to change and you're willing to do what it takes to win, then, you know, you've got me."
Over the weekend, it appeared Howard's departure from the Magic was both imminent and inevitable; his words at Media Day, along with Broussard's report, suggest otherwise.
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