ORLANDO — A warning precedes the question for Ryan Anderson.
It’s about Dwight Howard.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Anderson, Howard’s Orlando Magic teammate, said with a grin.
Howard is the only thing to talk about when it comes to the Magic. Their season has been framed around his circumstances. His was the biggest story in the league until Jeremy Lin came out of nowhere to rescue the Knicks.
The narrative, in its simplest terms: Howard has told the Magic he wants a trade, but they have so far resisted while trying to convince him to stay instead of choosing to become a free agent this summer. The March 15 trading deadline is approaching.
That’s the drama that has overshadowed the Magic’s season. The league is taking a break for the All-Star game this weekend in Orlando, but the buzz around Howard’s situation is not.
Howard tried to quiet things Friday by limiting questions to those concerning All-Star weekend, but he fanned the flames a couple of days earlier by telling USA Today there’s a “big possibility” he stays in Orlando.
Even Howard’s Eastern Conference All-Star teammates broached the topic of Howard with Howard.
“They understand it’s a very difficult, tough decision for me,” Howard said. “They said they are going to be there for me regardless of what I decide to do. But their thing is, hey, let me have fun. We don’t want to talk about trade or speculation or whatever. We just want to have fun.”
Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be a problem. Howard would bask in the glow of the warm spotlight befitting a superstar who is the unofficial player host for the NBA’s showcase weekend. He would throw parties, answer only pleasant questions from gathered media and then go out and earn the MVP for the All-Star game Sunday.
But these are not normal circumstances, and Howard is no ordinary All-Star.
“He’s probably the most dominant player in the game right now,” Hawks guard and fellow East All-Star Joe Johnson said. “We will just have to wait around and see what he chooses to do.”
No one wants to wait, of course, not for a story like this. Everyone wants to know what is going to happen with Howard. Fans around the NBA hope that, somehow, Howard ends up on their team — except Magic fans, who obviously want him to stay with the team that drafted him in 2004 with the No. 1 overall pick out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.
The Magic gave Howard’s agent permission to talk to the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers after Howard said those are the teams he would consider signing with long term. That didn’t stop other teams, including the Hawks, from inquiring about possibly trading for Howard.
Howard has alternately lamented the intense speculation about his future and fueled it by first publicly acknowledging his trade request and then continuing to talk about his future. Caught in the wake of all that noise are Howard’s teammates, who face the uncertainty of whether they might be included along with him in a trade and are confronted with questions about Howard at each stop on the schedule.
“Everywhere we go that’s all anyone wants to talk about,” Anderson said.
For Howard, 26, the financial implications of his decision are just the start.
He can sign a contract extension with the Magic for five years worth about $110 million. If he opts out and enters free agency, he can sign for four years worth about $80 million. Under the latter scenario, Howard gives up $30 million, but hopes he can make up the difference in his next deal if he continues to perform at a high level and stays healthy.
Beyond the money, Howard has said he wants to live in a bigger city and play for championships. The Magic counter that he can still cash in on endorsements while living in Orlando and that they’ve spared no expense while building their team, which lost to the Lakers in the 2009 NBA finals.
Meanwhile, each Magic slide this season has fueled speculation that Howard won’t stick around. The Magic (22-13) have the third-most wins in the East, but after their 83-78 loss at the Hawks on Thursday, Howard noted that the intense scrutiny makes it seem as if they’ve tanked.
“We are not in a bad position,” he said. “It’s not like we have been playing terrible basketball. We just have to find our stride at the right time.”
Soon after those words, Howard boarded a plane to Orlando and played host to a party Thursday night. There would be more parties and appearances over the next couple of days, but none of the hoopla could overshadow the big question about his future.
Howard acknowledged he feels the pressure of his circumstances this weekend.
“It’s a lot,” Howard said. “People wouldn’t understand it because they are not the ones who have to go through it. They see it from the outside. But it is tough. It’s been tough all year.
“But that’s not the point of discussion for me this weekend. We just want to have fun. It’s All-Star weekend; it’s in Orlando, and let’s forget about this stuff for a couple days.”
