Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Knicks Deal for Carmelo Anthony in the Works?

It's no secret that Dwight Howard has been the subject of intense trade speculation.

It's possible the New York Knicks might be the team that steps up and tries to land the superstar center, as the clock ticks down to the Thursday trade 3:00 pm ET deadline.

The rumor that is gaining traction is a blockbuster one. The Knicks would send Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler to Orlando for Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu.

The previous proposed deal included Amare Stoudemire with Chandler, but now with reports that Anthony has grown increasingly frustrated with the Knicks losing ways, it might make more sense to put Anthony in a deal instead of Stoudemire.

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News is urging the Knicks to make this move.

Many of the critics of Anthony feel that he isn't capable of bringing the franchise a title. Despite his New York roots, Anthony has fallen out of favor for his poor shot selection and his inability to mesh with Jeremy Lin.

Adding Howard would immediately strengthen the Knicks when it comes to defense and rebounding, as Howard dominates both categories.

Howard has the Knicks on his list of teams that he wants to play for, and New York is under-achieving, despite Linsanity. The Magic have denied they've made inquiries about such a deal, but perhaps they're willing to negotiate now that the deadline is getting closer.

Orlando is running out of choices when it comes to Howard. The club apparently doesn't want to make a swap for Lakers' center Andrew Bynum and draft picks, and probably has soured on the pieces New Jersey has offered.

By adding Anthony, the Magic would have a legitimate scorer, and also a solid inside presence with Chandler, who has a title under his belt and is a fierce competitor.

However, Anthony appears aloof at times and Chandler is not exactly a scoring machine, but at least the Magic would have compensation for losing Howard and would have some name recognition in having two players most fans are aware of. Also, it's a major bonus to lose Turkoglu's contract.

The Knicks would add star power by having Howard, which is always a bonus in Gotham. The club would also be sending a message that it is willing to take on Miami and Chicago for the Eastern Conference crown.

The big hold up is about whether Howard will re-sign with the Knicks should they make the deal. Also, there might be backlash from fans for dealing the popular Anthony, who arrived at Madison Square Garden like he was a rockstar.

Does Anthony want to leave the Knicks?

No, no, no, no. Let's nip this in the bud right now. No, Anthony said, on Wednesday morning.

I don't know where that came from. I'm tired of hearing it. It came out this morning from I guess an anonymous source. I'm tired of anonymous sources. I don't want to be traded. I don't know where that foolishness came from, so let's put a cap on that and make this the last time I hear about that.

There is still no word if this trade will go down, but it sure makes the final day before the trade deadline more interesting.