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NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard Won't Give Up Opt-Out Option, Next Move Is Unclear

After a long day of rumors that basically had the future of Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard all over the map,ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that Howard told the Magic in a conference call on Wednesday that he refuses to concede the early termination option on his current contract.

It had previously been reported that Howard told some Magic teammates that he would waive the option and remain with the team through the 2012-2013 season in order to avoid being traded before this week's trade deadline. Stein says that Howard and his agent, Dan Fegan, called the team before Wednesday's game against San Antonio to clarify the player's position.

When asked why Howard told several teammates and members of the organization earlier in the day that he had indeed decided not to opt out of his contract, the source insisted that Howard 'didn't fully understand the ramifications' of surrendering his ETO.

So while it appears that previous reports about Howard's stated intentions weren't necessarily incorrect, it's becoming clear that Howard doesn't have any concrete plans for his future going forward.

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