Dwight Howard Rumors: Howard Wants Trade to Brooklyn Nets, Accuses Orlando Magic of Blackmail, According to Report

Dwight Howard has asked the Orlando Magic to trade him to the Brooklyn Nets, a report from Chris Broussard of ESPN says, and claims Orlando blackmailed him into delaying his free agency by one year. According to Broussard, Howard on Friday met with Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan in Los Angeles, where Howard is rehabilitating after surgery to repair a herniated disk.

Hennigan, the report says, did not indicate to Howard whether he'd grant his request or not; his intention in the meeting was simply to gauge Howard's interest in staying, and not to make a pitch for Howard to stay.

More astonishing than Howard's desire to leave Orlando, however, is his accusation that the team "blackmailed" him into waiving the Early Termination Option in his contract. On March 15th, the day of the NBA trade deadline, Howard waived his right to become an unrestricted free agent by one calendar year. But now he's considering legal action to nullify the agreement in order to become a restricted free agent immediately. The players' union "has no plans to pursue any such legal action against the Magic," Broussard writes.

All the Magic confirmed to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel is that Hennigan and Howard met in L.A.

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