Dwight Howard Asks for a Trade to Brooklyn

What a Surprise? The 'Dwight Howard wanting out of Orlando' saga continues. Sources say Rob Hennigan, the new GM for the Magic, apparently met with Dwight Howard, the star of the team, on Friday for the first time. During the meeting, Dwight apparently stated that he wanted to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The interesting part of it all is that people close to Howard have said that he felt blackmailed into signing the "opt-in" clause of his contract by way of a trade he didn't approve of. Howard is even looking into the possibility of voiding the 1 year opt-in based on the blackmailed charge that probably won't stand.

Man, things just don't seem to get better in Orlando. By the sounds analysts seem to be making, it seems that Dwight Howard will get his wish. Maybe not right away but I would bet that a deal would get done by the pre-season. The intriguing part is whether or not this influences contract talks between Deron Williams and the Nets. Deron hasn't made up his mind yet where he wants to go and would love to play with Dwight but the fact is that he is not going to wait for Orlando to make a move. Deron make a choice where to play within the next couple of weeks, regardless of Dwight's situation. The Nets, however, have a window of opportunity here to get both Williams and Howard on the same team and make themselves an instant playoff contender.

While it is fun to speculate what will happen, I must say that this is a first meeting between Hennigan and Dwight Howard. I know Dwight has his heart set on leaving Orlando but this could all easily be the result of a rough first meeting in which Hennigan might want to try and let time heal the wounds further. The team has changed coaches for Dwight and management for Dwight. They might not trade him so easily.