DWIGHT STUFF: Dwight Howard, just days after requesting a trade to the Nets, said yesterday at the Magic’s media day that he wants to stay and win a championship in Orlando. (AP)
Last season, the Nets spent several months chasing Carmelo Anthony before losing out on him to the Knicks. It looks as if they could spend most of this season chasing Dwight Howard.
As recently as this past weekend, it looked as if it simply was a matter of when the Magic would decide to deal its franchise center, after Howard requested a trade to the Nets. But after spending the weekend publicly discussing his frosty relationship with general manager Otis Smith and willingness to leave Orlando, Howard struck a different tune yesterday after meeting with Magic CEO Alex Martins.
“I love this city; there is no place I’d rather be but Orlando,” Howard told reporters at the Magic’s media day yesterday. “I just want to make sure we have the right things here so we can win a championship. I’m all about change. If you’re willing to change, and you’re willing to do what it takes to win then, you know, you got me.”
Martins also seemed upbeat after the meeting, speaking optimistically about the prospects of keeping Howard in Orlando for a long time to come.
“I am confident that we can work with Dwight and convince him to stay here long term,” Martins said.
Yesterday’s events were merely the latest in what can only be described as a surreal several days for Howard, the Magic and the Nets. First, longtime Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide abruptly resigned last week after placing a late-night phone call to Howard after having what Vander Weide described as, “a couple of drinks.”
Then, reports surfaced Friday of a meeting between Nets owner — and now Russian presidential candidate — Mikhail Prokhorov, general manager Billy King and Howard in Miami on Thursday, which would almost certainly violate the NBA’s laws against tampering. Howard and King later denied that any such meeting took place.
That was followed by Smith confirming he had given Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, permission to discuss a potential trade with three teams — the Lakers, Mavericks and Nets — while Martins said that wasn’t the case, before he backtracked later.
The Nets have Brook Lopez and a pair of 2012 first-round picks — both their own and Houston’s — to offer Orlando in a Howard trade, along with the ability to absorb the final three years and $34 million of Hedo Turkoglu’s contract.
In the meantime, the Nets are still monitoring the status of Nuggets center Nene. Arguably the top player available at the start of free agency, he’s clearly the best available player now that Tyson Chandler has signed with the Knicks, David West has signed with the Pacers and Memphis restricted free-agent center Marc Gasol agreed to a new deal with the Grizzlies last night.
The Nets have made an offer of four years and between $60-65 million for Nene, the 29-year-old Brazilian whom they would like to pair with Lopez to give the Nets’ one of the better combinations of big men in the league.
Adding Nene also wouldn’t hurt the Nets’ quest to put enough talent around star point guard Deron Williams to convince him to sign a five-year max contract with the Nets after he opts out of his current deal and becomes a free agent on July 1.
* The Nets were rumored to have some interest in former Knicks point guard Chauncey Billups, who was released via the amnesty clause in order to sign Tyson Chandler. But Billups wound up being awarded to the Clippers for $2 million.