This is getting absurd.
Multiple news outlets have reported that Dwight Howard has told teammates that he will opt in to the final year of his contract and play at least one more season with the Orlando Magic, but Adrian Wojnarowski reports that he only referenced this season:
Three Magic players tell Y! Sports (2 to @SpearsNBAYahoo) and one to me that Dwight Howard did not tell them he was opting in for next year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 14, 2012
Christian Bruey of WFTV in Orlando was the first to file the report that Dwight would opt in for the 2012-13 season, and it’s entirely possible that he both a) told management he was in for next year, and b) told his teammates that he was in for this year.
In last night’s post-game press conference, Howard did say that “it” was all about “this moment,” and that next year wasn’t on his mind.
This comes on the heels of Howard telling the Magic to “roll the dice” on him, reports that Otis Smith and Stan Van Gundy were ready to deal Howard, and reports that Dwight was dead set on becoming a Brooklyn Net in this offseason.
No paperwork has been officially filed yet, and as Sam Amick says, “I’ll believe it when he signs the papers, but Dwight Howard has informed numerous people close to him that he’s staying one more season.”
The trade deadline is 23 hours away.
