Orlando Magic Finally Ready to Move on from Dwight Howard Era

By: Stephen Patterson

It appear as though the Orlando Magic are finally ready to move on from the Dwight Howard era and will attempt to grant him his long-desired trade.

According to Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com, the team fired Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith with the intention of also moving Howard and starting with a clean slate across the board.

There were multiple reports earlier in the week that Howard still wanted out of Orlando despite the fact that the team fired Van Gundy, who many believe Dwight had wanted gone for quite some time.

The Magic will begin listening to offers next week after the draft lottery takes place and will try to make a deal happen prior to the NBA Draft in June.

Many people believe the Magic are hoping the Brooklyn Nets will land a top three selection in the draft lottery that they can include in a package along with Brook Lopez and other players and/or picks.

Another team that could potentially jump into the mix for Howard is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are likely to make some major moves in order to get back to a championship-contending level and could offer a package involving Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and/or Metta World Peace.

A dark horse candidate to watch for could be the New York Knicks. It is becoming more and more apparent that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire aren't meshing quite as well on the court as the franchise envisioned when they paired the duo up and could be inclined to make a move for Howard to keep him from going to the crosstown Nets.

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are also potential landing spots for Howard, although it would be much tougher for either team to land the NBA's best center without having to part with Dirk Nowitzki or Blake Griffin, respectively.

Who's uniform do you think Dwight Howard will be wearing on opening night of the 2012-13 season opener? Let me know in the comments section below.