Orlando PR man Joel Glass calls to inform that D. Howard’s agent now has permission to speak w/ Lakers, Nets, & Mavs about possible trade.
Glass was clear that this permission was from here “going forward,” not previously.
The Lakers and Nets make sense as suitors given the assets they have at their disposal, but how the Mavericks squeezed their way into this bunch is beyond me. Dallas doesn’t seem to have much to offer Orlando in a potential deal, and yet here they are, among the few teams Howard’s agent, Dan Fagan, is authorized to speak to on his client’s behalf. Bizarre.
12:50 AM EST: The NBA seems to have moved on past the lockout days of conflicting reports from troublesome unnamed sources and right on to conflicting reports from troublesome named sources. According to Ric Bucher of ESPN.com, Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith has confirmed that Dwight Howard was given permission to consult with representatives from select teams. Whatever could they have to talk about?
But before we get too excited about the idea of an impending deal for Howard, Sam Amick of SI.com swept in with a contrary report. According to Amick, Magic CEO Alex Martins claimed that Howard was given no such permission, and that Orlando was still considering filing formal tampering charges against the teams that contacted him out of turn. It’s all a bit of a mess, especially considering that the reporting is so transparent; Bucher and Amick have their sources published in plain view, giving the entire basketball world a glimpse into the Orlando Magic’s current dysfunction.
It’s only fair, after all, considering the stink still emanating from the NBA’s recent blunder in canceling a potential three-way trade involving Chris Paul. As it was written in the new collective bargaining agreement: “If ridiculousness befalls one superstar seeking relocation, it must befall all superstars seeking relocation.” Trust me -- it was in the fine print.
What this actually means for a potential Howard trade is anyone’s guess, as the Magic have sufficiently run the rest of the basketball world in circles over the availability of their franchise centerpiece. Hopefully things will be clarified over the next 24 hours or so, because as it stands, it’s tough to say if Howard has actually met with any teams, if he was allowed to in the first place, and how all of this impacts the potential for a trade.
