Dwight Howard has been playing tremendous basketball lately, and he was especially dominant in the Houston Rockets' loss on Monday to the Clippers when he scored 36 points and grabbed 26 rebounds. Howard followed up that game by injuring his ankle in the first minute of Wednesday night's game against the Pistons, but he has asserted himself recently. With the trade deadline approaching, there has been some thought that the Rockets might look to deal their center, but Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says that is very unlikely to happen.
The Howard trade situation is an interesting one because there is always chatter of him being unhappy wherever he is playing, and this year it has been no different. Early in the season there was a report that Howard wasn't happy in Houston and that he and James Harden weren't a good fit, but Howard has vehemently denied that report and said he hasn't requested a trade.
From Houston's standpoint, Howard has a player option for about $23 million next season which he is likely to decline considering he could sign a max contract worth nearly $30 million of average annual value this offseason. The Rockets have to decide whether they want to spend that much money on Howard or whether they should trade him now and see what they could get for him before they lose him for nothing.
About a month ago it seemed like a good possibility that the Rockets would trade Howard, but now it seems very unlikely. The Rockets reportedly see Howard as a key piece to their team now and in the future and view him as a huge reason why their season has turned around. While the Rockets are not actively shopping Howard, they are still likely to listen should another team come to them with a blockbuster trade involving the 30-year-old center. If they are given an enticing offer, the Rockets would likely consider it, but odds are that Howard won't be traded before the deadline.
Howard's numbers are down this season, but he has picked up his play recently as his back has gotten healthy and interim head coach J.P. Bickerstaff got him more involved in the offense. Through 37 games Howard is averaging 14.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in his third season in Houston.
