Dwight Howard wants to play for the Brooklyn Nets and if he doesn’t get his way he’ll stick out his final season with the Orlando Magic and then explore his free agency options.
Howard spot with Yahoo! Sports on Monday and told the sports publication:
“There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that.”
While Howard did not specifically name the Brooklyn Nets in his discussion Magic general manager Rob Hennigan confirmed on Monday what several sources had already reported, Dwight Howard wants to play for the Brooklyn Nets.
Howard has his preference in team however there are no clauses in his contract that would allow him to block a trade should the Orlando Magic wish to send him to another team. While Hennigan has said he would like to honor Howard’s wishes the Orlando Magic will not simply perform a trade just to remove their All-Star caliber player.
In the meantime Howard cleared up another issue with Yahoo Sports! noting that he never said Magic officials had “blackmailed” him into forgoing his early termination clause in his contract which would have allowed him to become a free agent this summer. According to Howard:
“I never used the word blackmail in reference to any of my dealings with the Magic. I never said that. It’s defamatory and it’s inaccurate. I know what blackmail means and any report that I used the term incorrectly is inaccurate.”
This is not the first time Dwight Howard has asked for a trade, during the NBA lockout in December he asked for a move to the Brooklyn Nets .