The Dwight Howard trade situation is always an interesting one, and this season has been no different. Howard has been on and off the trade block several times already, and his name continues to be mentioned in several rumors with the deadline approaching fast. Many people believe Howard might be moved before Thursday, and the Houston Rockets are talking with the Miami Heat about a Howard-for-Hassan Whiteside swap, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The team linked to Howard the most has been the Boston Celtics, but they reportedly have very little interest in trading assets for the big man. The Heat make some sense because Whiteside is set to become a free agent after this season and will likely require a max contract, which the Heat may not be willing to give him. Howard, too, is set to become a free agent after this season, but this trade would make sense only because the Heat are in win-now mode, and Howard is more likely to help a championship run this year than Whiteside.
A deal like this certainly has its issues though, as the two teams would have to figure out a way to make the salaries work. Howard is making more than $22 million this season while Whiteside is making less than $1 million, so making the salaries work would likely prove to be a very difficult task. The Heat have had major questions about Whiteside's future with the organization, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but they might have trouble finding proper value for him on the tarde market.
As for Howard the Rockets have also had major questions about their centers future with the team so they have reportedly been actively shopping him. Since the report of Howard being actively shopped came out Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported that a trade was unlikely because the Rockets trade talks have just been "exploratory."
All in all it seems as though this trade is unlikely to get done because there are too many obstacles in the way. There are conflicting reports about whether Howard is likely to be dealt or not but it would seem as though him finishing out the year in Houston is the best bet. Howard isn't garnering as much interest as the Rockets had hoped and that is due to his diminishing skills and his impending free agency where he is expected to ask for a max contract.
