Superstar center Dwight Howard told the Orlando Magic Wednesday afternoon that if the team does not trade him by Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline he would not opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. Now the Magic want him to prove it.
NBA.com is reporting that the Magic have given Howard a deadline to sign paperwork waiving the opt-out clause in his contract. The report indicated that the Magic would trade Howard if he does not sign that paperwork by the end of Wednesday.
It is widely believed that Howard wants to end up with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. Orlando fears that Howard will simply walk away from the team via free agency this summer if they don’t trade him now. The NBA.com report said the Magic are "not convinced Howard genuinely wants to stay.
So, stay tuned Nets fans. The Howard saga seems far from a conclusion.