Report: Dwight Howard Trade Talks Over
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Earlier today Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that talks between Orlando and the Nets had "gathered momentum."
Now it appears they are off.
The Magic have informed teams that they're ending trade talks for Dwight Howard and plan to start the season with the All-Star center on their roster, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
There were no details on why or whether talks would be renewed. It appears from the tweet that talks with all teams, not just the Nets, have ended. But it is consistent with the Magic's stated intention of re-signing Howard despite the player's trade demands.
In the meantime, Howard's teammates are preparing themselves to play an NBA season, with or without him.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said while he understands there will be uncertainty until the Howard situation is resolved, he's preparing in practice as if the roster they have right now is what they'll have when they open the regular season Christmas night at Oklahoma City.
Van Gundy said he definitely lobbied this offseason for management to find a way to bring Jason Richardson back and that it adds some stability to the shooting guard spot.
He said that he doesn't think he utilized Richardson like he should have in the 55 games he played with the Magic last season. Richardson still averaged 13.9 points per game and even played the tail end of Orlando's opening round playoff loss to Atlanta on a tender left foot after a home accident ended with him getting seven stitches in it.
"I tell you what, I think he'll be better because he'll be more comfortable," Van Gundy said. "I think he'll also be better because we'll give him more opportunities."
Howard didn't address the media after Tuesday's practice.
Will Howard soon be fitted for a Nets uniform? Sound off below...
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