Dwight Howard’s trade request is hurting Magic Players

Magic star Dwight Howard has made it no secret that he wants out of Orlando this season. He has said he wants to play with better players or he wants out of Orlando. Don’t you think that would hurt the current Orlando Magic players?

Wonder what the Magic players are saying about this in the locker room. About two months ago Howard said he would like to play with star point guards like Deron Williams and Chris Paul. How do you this affected current Magic point guard Jameer Nelson? Well Nelson gave his thoughts to the Orlando Sentinel.

“I’m here to play basketball and I can’t worry about what anybody says. I’m here because I’m a winner and they want me here. I know if they didn’t want me, I wouldn’t be here,” Nelson said. “I’m human and a lot of things affect you. We’re basketball players, but we’re also human. A lot of the stuff that came out about other point guards being here was basically months ago, so if I was hurt, I’m over it.”

General manager Otis Smith agrees with Nelson and doesn’t blame him for feeling a bit jilted saying that Nelson hasn’t played well this season because Howard “indirectly threw him under the bus.”

Right now the Magic are 11 and 4 so the Howard trade rumors haven’t hurt their play yet but the season is young. How will Howard act when the team struggles a bit? However Nelson’s numbers are down across the board. Who knows why his numbers are down. Has Howard’s situation affected Nelson’s bad play who knows probably at least a little?

I don’t blame Nelson one bit if someone thought I wasn’t good enough and I would be offended. Now all Nelson can do is go out and prove Howard and show him he is a star point guard in this league.

“Nothing has changed,” Howard said recently about his trade request.

Otis Smith confirmed Howard has not taken his trade request off the table and that Howard’s agent still has permission to speak with three, and only three, teams: the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Jersey Nets.

We all know Howard won’t be with the Orlando Magic this season. He is going to sign with a team in a bigger market and a better chance to win.

So should the Magic trade him? I think so. The Magic will make the playoffs this season but they won’t reach the Eastern Conference finals. So why not trade Howard and get some value back in return like draft picks. If the Magic just let Howard walk after free agency they won’t get anything for him.

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Tags: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic