NBA Rumors: Chris Paul, Dwight Howard Never Strongly Considered Orlando Magic Team-Up, According to Report

For years, Marc Spears writes, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard dreamed of playing together. But the pair of All-Stars never seriously entertained the idea of Paul joining Howard with the Orlando Magic.

"What will you be giving up?" is what the Yahoo! Sports scribe, citing a source, says Paul asked Howard when Howard mentioned the possibility of Paul requesting a trade to Orlando. Tim Povtak reported in 2010 that the Magic offered to the New Orleans Hornets, Paul's then-team, a trade package built around Orlando's starting backcourt of Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson, two former All-Stars. Less than one month later, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported Paul put the Magic atop his wishlist of desired teams, which information Spears' latest report would seem to contradict.

Though Howard and Paul tentatively agreed to join the Dallas Mavericks via free agency, Paul got impatient with Howard's indecisiveness--the Magic center, at the time, wanted to remain in Orlando--and requested a trade. In December 2011, the Los Angeles Clippers eventually landed the Wake Forest product in exchange for shooting guard Eric Gordon, small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, center Chris Kaman, and a future first-round Draft choice which eventually became Austin Rivers.

Howard wasn't high on the idea of joining Paul in Los Angeles, citing concerns that he would not mesh well with All-Star forward Blake Griffin, according to Spears. He became fixated on joining Deron Williams--like Paul, an All-Star point guard--with the Brooklyn Nets, but that trade never materialized either.

The Magic granted Howard his release in August, sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he and Paul will form a Staples Center rivalry.

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