The Atlanta Hawks are the latest team whose trade offer for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has been revealed, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, citing "sources." Atlanta offered All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson and athletic power forward Josh Smith to the Magic for Howard, an Atlanta native. "You have to figure that the Magic, though, would insist on Al Horford if such discussions ever got serious," Stein says.
Orlando granted Dan Fegan, Howard's agent, permission to discuss trades with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks, so a trade to Atlanta appears to be unlikely. Those three teams, along with Orlando, are the only ones to which Howard, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2012, would commit.
Stein believes the Magic "would not hold out for youth and draft picks" in a potential Howard trade, in contrast to what the New Orleans Hornets did when they dealt All-Star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the season. Instead, Orlando wishes "to bring back multiple established veterans who can keep the team competitive," as it has a brand-new arena, Amway Center, to keep full. Johnson and Smith fit that criterion for Orlando, but Howard has yet to indicate he's interested in a trade to Atlanta.
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