Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Magic Should Deal Him to Nets

The latest bit of news in the Dwight Howard saga is that the Orlando Magic big man wants to be traded at the conclusion of the season.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported on Tuesday that Howard will ask for a trade out of Orlando at the end of what has been a catastrophic season.

The minute this season is over, according to what I am hearing from his camp, you can expect Dwight Howard to tell Orlando. 'Get me out of here. I don't want to be here any longer.'

Smith says that Howard feels he has been mistreated within the organization, including a recent incident in which the team wanted Howard to fly Air Tran after getting back surgery.

He feels as a superstar, he's been treated as a scrub.

If I'm in the Magic upper management, I tell Howard good riddance if that's the way he feels about the organization.

Howard is a terrific star -- there's no denying that -- but eventually the constant headaches that come with having him start to outweigh the benefits. He has held the organization hostage the past season over whether he'd be willing to commit long-term to Orlando, only to flip flop back-and-forth on the issue worse than any recent politician.

He's told everyone within earshot that he wanted to be traded to the New Jersey -- soon to be Brooklyn -- Nets, but then decided to opt-in for the 2012-13 season in Orlando. That gave the organization some hope that it could convince the All-Star center to sign a long extension, but this latest report from Smith shows that Howard is nothing but drama.

Not only has he created a huge black cloud over the organization by continually changing his mind, but he has also embarrassed the team with his feud with coach Stan Van Gundy. Behind the scenes Howard has reportedly asked for Van Gundy to be fired, including during the middle of a Magic game, after battling with the talented coach the past few years.

Howard has publicly denied that he wants Van Gundy fired, but even the coach came clean that the Magic administration told him that Howard wanted him gone. It was yet another black eye on the franchise and showed that despite wanting to please everyone and be the anti-Lebron, Howard is as disingenuous as it gets.

Will the Magic get full value for trading Howard in the off-season? Doubtful, but rebuilding with some players that actually want to be in Orlando and are honest with their intentions is the best move for Orlando.

Getting multiple first-round picks along with Brook Lopez and MarShon Brooks from the Nets would be a good start for a franchise that needs a makeover in the worst possible way.