Dwight Howard changes course again: I’m staying
By Adrian Wojnarowski, 2 hours, 22 minutes ago
The final hours until Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline have disintegrated into complete chaos surrounding the future of Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
After Howard repeatedly changed his mind Wednesday on whether to sign a waiver for his contract’s early termination option for the 2012-13 season – he told Magic officials he would be back next season then told them later in the day he wouldn’t commit to signing the waiver, allowing him to enter free agency on July 1 – he delivered a late-night interview to a basketball website that incredibly reversed course again.
Howard told RealGM he would sign the paperwork for the waiver to remain with the Magic through the 2012-13 season and forgo free agency.
Dwight Howard initially asked the Magic to trade him before the start of the season.
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
“Man, listen, you know my heart, my soul and everything I have is in Orlando,” Howard told RealGM. “I just can’t leave it behind.”
Howard also said in the interview that he had received “bad advice” in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
“I apologize for this circus I have caused to the fans of our city,” he said. “They didn’t deserve none of this.”
Several of Howard’s advisers and other members of his inner circle were unaware of his change of heart Wednesday night.
Prior to Howard’s interview, the Magic hurriedly explored the trade options for their All-Star center and engaged the New Jersey Nets on a potential blockbuster deal, sources said. The Magic weren’t willing to end trade discussions until Howard made a commitment to stay long-term with the franchise. They fear losing him in free agency without receiving any real compensation. Orlando officials weren’t expected to suspend trade talks until Howard followed through with his pledge to sign the waiver form.
As one Western Conference executive told Yahoo! Sports. “This is a historic debacle.”
After telling reporters Tuesday night that he hoped to remain with the Magic through the end of the season, Howard reiterated the same message to teammates at a meeting in San Antonio on Wednesday. Howard told teammates that he was “all in” for the rest of the season then proceeded to tell each player what he needed to do for the Magic to win the championship this season, three players told Y! Sports. Howard didn’t commit in the meeting to staying beyond this season.
Howard later had lunch with three teammates in which he told them he planned to opt into the final year of his contract and would remain with the team through next season, a league source said. Howard called Magic CEO Alex Martins from the table and also informed him of his intentions, the source said.
For Howard to eliminate the early termination option from his contract, both he and his agent, Dan Fegan, need to sign waiver paperwork. Before the Magic’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Howard told team officials he wouldn’t be signing the forms.
“Dwight doesn’t want to be the bad guy,” one source involved in the process said of Howard’s past 24 hours. “He doesn’t want to be unpopular. He flaked out.”
