Final Destination: Dwight Howard will be a Maverick

Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos seems content to gamble on whether or not his star center Dwight Howard will leave as a free agent after the season is over. Déjà vu anyone?

Although everyone, including me is tired of hearing about how this same scenario played out when Shaquille O’Neal left the Magic back in 1996, it is relevant when discussing Howard’s situation.

Both Howard and Shaq were centers and first overall draft picks, both were extremely popular in Orlando during their time in a Magic jersey and both took the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance.

There are distinct differences though. Shaq was seduced by the allure of playing in Los Angeles.  He had been starring in movies and even had a semi-successful (I’m being generous of course) rap career while with the Magic. Shaq felt that his budding career outside of basketball would get a major boost with the exposure he would receive playing in L.A.

Now don’t get me wrong, Howard has some similar interests outside of basketball but he is about basketball first. If the Magic had a better team, leaving Orlando wouldn’t appeal as much to Howard as it does now.

You see, the Magic were a much different team when Shaq was there. Shaq left a very talented team, probably more talented than the Los Angeles Lakers team he signed with. Unlike Howard, Shaq had a super-talent like Penny Hardaway playing alongside him in Orlando. Horace Grant who had won three titles with Michael Jordan in Chicago was also with the Magic.

Howard on the other hand is leaving because of the Magic’s inability to surround him with star talent. In an age when super stars are banding together to give them a better shot at winning a ring, Howard feels that he needs another star player alongside him in order for the Magic to have a shot at a title.

And he is correct to a certain extent. The Dallas Mavericks won the title last year with only one true super star on the roster but they had a ton of former All-Stars and B-level talent on the team. Even after losing a couple of guys who played critical roles in that championship run, Dirk Nowitzki still has more talent surrounding him in Dallas than Howard has in Orlando.

The biggest difference in Shaq and Howard’s situations though is that the Magic see this one coming. There wasn’t any monetary benefit to stay with your team back when Shaq left because all teams could offer the same amount. Orlando can sign Howard for more than any other team but we saw how that played out for teams last season.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all signed for less in order to play together. Players have shown a willingness to sacrifice money for wins which doesn’t bode well for the Magic going into the offseason.

So not only do the Magic have the Shaq situation as an example of how things could play out this year they can also look at how things played out in Cleveland with LeBron, in Toronto with Bosh, in Denver with Carmelo Anthony and with Chris Paul in New Orleans.

And Howard is just as determined to leave Orlando as those guys were to leave their old teams. The Magic won’t have nearly as much talent to work with when Howard leaves as they had when Shaq left. They were still a playoff caliber team with Penny at the helm but they can expect a Cleveland-like drop in the standings if Howard is allowed to walk this summer.

That is unless they are wise enough to trade him before the deadline and try to get something back for him. If Howard is allowed to walk this summer then that plays right into the hands of Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban.

Cuban has cleared up enough cap room to sign both Howard and Deron Williams this offseason. Both have also expressed a desire to play for Cuban in Dallas next year so unless the Magic find another destination for Howard then the Mavericks will be his most likely free agent destination.

Unfortunately DeVos has decided to gamble on Howard resigning with the Magic. Although the wise money says trade him, don’t be surprised to see Howard still in a Magic uniform after the March 15 trade deadline. Howard staying means the Magic will make the playoffs so Magic fans better enjoy it because it will be years before Orlando gets to host another playoff game.

Roosevelt Hall is an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2 and also writes for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@shatterthebackboard.com. Follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist and add him on Facebook Roosevelt Hall Thesportmentalist.  

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