After the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a deal with for All-Star guard Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks it seemed all talks of a possible trade for Dwight Howard were over. However, the two teams have recently resumed talking about a potential trade for the Orlando center.
League sources told ESPN that the Orlando Magic star may still be traded to the Nets despite previous assertions that talks between the two teams were over.
Howard asked to be traded to the Nets in December and has reportedly done so on several occasions since then. Most recently a request occurred on Friday in a meeting with the new Magic General Manager. Howard has been determined to leave the Magic in time for the upcoming season.
Howard is seeking a long-term contract with a new team, and he prefers going to Brooklyn.
To obtain Howard, the Nets would reportedly send Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and their first-round picks in 2013, 2015 and 2017 to the Magic, according to ESPN.
The Nets still have yet to ink a deal with star point guard Deron Williams, but it is believed that Williams will re-sign with the team, especially after the Nets went out and landed Johnson and his huge contract. If Williams does re-sign, the Nets won’t have much to spend on another big-time player, which will complicate their efforts to grab Howard.
Other teams in contention for Howard include the Los Angeles Lakers, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Dallas Mavericks, according to reports.
It is still unknown how this scenario will play out while the Magic consider all its options and decide what will be the best overall outcome.
The Nets are hoping to build a strong and contending team in the offseason to bring to Brooklyn for their premiere season and believe a lineup including Howard, Williams and Johnson would be an ideal scenario for the team.
