NBA

Dwight drama set to end … or not

In case the Knicks are unaware, someone might want to alert them Thursday (3 p.m. Eastern) is the NBA trading deadline.

Yes, once again it’s time for the annual prisoner exchange, though as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, any swap may be blocked by either commissioner David Stern or Iranian censors.

Naturally, the Plight, err, Flight of Dwight, takes precedence over where anyone else in the assemblage may be redistricted. Does Howard stay in Orlando? Get traded to the Nets? Rented? Sublet? Or turned into condominiums?

Last we checked Twitter, Howard had advised his followers he’s leaving; staying; wants to play with Tony Orlando; is looking forward to becoming Mikhail Prokhorov’s running partner, and he doesn’t mean in the next Russian election; and has eyes on Brooklyn, L.A., Dallas, Corpus Christi … or maybe it was Chris Christie.

I’m guessing Magic general manager Otis Smith, who’s “50-50” to have the job come summer, has been on the phone more than Rick Perry denying 11th-hour appeals.

Scholarly speculation leads me to believe Howard will jump center when the Nets, of all teams, visit Orlando Friday night. Which uniform will he be wearing? Your guess is as good as mine.

But don’t be the least surprised should owner Rich DeVos put the onus on Howard to make the command decision at season’s end. To opt out or not to opt out, that is the question.

The financial consequences aren’t as prohibitive as widely presented. Should Howard sign for the four-year max ($81,114,448) elsewhere, the risk in forfeiting his Larry Bird free- agent rights is suffering a career-ending injury during that span, because a five-year max contract with Orlando is worth $109,229,059.

Otherwise, Howard’s loss would be relatively minimal ($3.5 million) because he’d make up the majority of the above difference ($24.6 million) on the first year (fifth, overall) of his second Nets contract.

OK, so why would DeVos chance losing Howard for possibly nothing? Should he do the turkey trot, the Magic are entitled to zero compensation.

Of course, management could work out sign-and-trade arrangements after the fact, as the Cavaliers and Raptors did apropos to LeBron James and Chris Bosh … should DeVos find puny first-round positions and a trade exception appealing.

(Interesting that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert allowed such worthless wampum to override his puffed-up principles.)

“The Magic must like any trade they make at this point,” an Eastern Conference GM underlined. “If they can get 90-95 cents on the dollar for Dwight, my guess is they’ll deal. If it’s 70 cents, I think they’ll play it out like the Cavs did with LeBron.

“Cleveland went for a championship and that’s likely what the Magic also are thinking. Why not go for it? They’re in a new building that’s sold out and so are the sponsorships. More important, they’ve beaten some good teams last week (Bulls in Chicago and Heat at home). They’re in the third hole with a shot to move up a spot.

“Hey, if they reach The Finals, Dwight may have a change of heart. If not, look how it turned out for the Cavaliers. A year later, they got Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson in the draft and are exciting on their way back up. Plus, they’re making money. When LeBron played for them they lost a ton of money.

“So, what I’m saying is, in the end, if the Magic don’t get anything significant for Dwight, the Cavaliers are proving it’s not the end of the world.”

* Moving right along, the team most likely to trade a quality center — Andrew Bogut — is Milwaukee. Golden State, say sources, is making every effort to be first on the receiving line.

The Bucks are frustrated with Bogut’s inveterate injuries that take many months (a fractured left ankle Jan. 25 won’t permit him to play until mid-April) to rehabilitate.

The Warriors are drooling to get him (despite his two-year, $27 million obligation) because it’s obvious they can’t become a playoff team unless the cavity in their middle is manned by someone with size, scoring ability and shot blocking skills.

The big IF is Stephen Curry. That’s who is being offered. Last week, it looked like the two-for-one deal (Robin Lopez would have been obtained from Phoenix and rerouted to Milwaukee) was almost 100 percent approved by both sides. Subsequently, Curry’s surgically repaired (last summer) ankle sometimes forces him to pull up in pain when he makes a sharp cut. It doesn’t seem to be a grave problem, but it’s serious enough to make him take a seat and serious enough for the Bucks to take pause.