Growing frustrated with the entire situation, the Orlando Magic have been telling teams that they will trade center Dwight Howard before the trade deadline if the two sides can't agree to a contract extension soon, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.
Here's one of Broussard's sources on the topic:
Dwight's dreaming if he thinks Orlando won't trade him without a commitment. He needs to make some small commitment to them. They're saying it can't be one way.
According to the source, Orlando was offended by Howard's recent public plea to stay with the Magic through the end of the season given his intention to hit free agency at the end of the year. The team feels that Howard is trying to unfairly manipulate the situation.
The report says that Orlando would be satisfied with retaining Howard without an extension in place as long as the center refuses to opt-out of his current deal and his free agency this summer. He hasn't been willing to make that consolation yet, though.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Head over SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.