The Houston Rockets seem to be trying pretty hard to trade Dwight Howard as the trade deadline is approaching, but it's not looking good for them. Houston is not finding all that much interest in Howard out on the market, but they did reportedly get at least one offer. The Charlotte Hornets offered the Rockets a deal for Howard, but they declined, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The Hornets have been the team linked closest to a potential Howard deal, but there were also reports that they did not want to give up major assets for a rental player, which Howard could be. The offer they reportedly made the Rockets was Al Jefferson and Spencer Hawes for Howard straight up, which was not to Houston's liking apparently.
The Rockets are at the point where they realize they aren't a championship contender and they also don't want to commit to Howard long-term. Howard has a player option for next season, which he is expected to decline, at which point he will become an unrestricted free agent. Howard reportedly plans to ask for a max contract as a free agent, and the Rockets don't want to commit that much money to him.
Houston's plan is to trade Howard and get something in return for him instead of losing him for nothing this offseason. Isola reports that Howard's agent and the Rockets are working closely together to make a trade happen before 3 p.m. Although the Rockets would like to move on from Howard, they clearly won't move on from him for just anything. Hawes and Jefferson is an uninspiring package, but at least it is something. The declining of that deal suggests that the Rockets want more and they have reportedly been asking for a lot.
From the Hornets perspective, it certainly didn't hurt to offer this deal. They are in playoff position, and Jefferson has been hurt all season, so Howard would have represented an improvement at the center position. Hawes, on the other hand, signed a three-year deal prior to this season and has been underwhelming, but he is a solid player and would have been a decent rotational player for the Rockets in the future.
In the end, the Hornets are looking to improve their team now, but they are not willing to mortgage the future to do so. The Rockets didn't like Charlotte's offer, but it may be the best one they get. It is possible they decide to come back to this offer before 3 p.m., but if they don't lower their asking price, Howard will likely finish the year in Houston.
