Well on Thursday, things blew seemingly out of control. According to ESPN and other sources, Howard had a newfound interest in the Nets, and was going to request a trade. Howard had never outwardly expressed interest in New Jersey, but it was well documented that the Nets wanted him and that Howard wanted to play with Deron Williams. So of course, it came as rather curious when this information came to light. As a result, sources wanted to find out why Howard came to that decision, and rumors of tampering began to grow.
These rumors claimed Howard met with Nets brass on Thursday night in Miami unbeknownst to Orlando Magic front office personnel. That triggered a statement on Friday morning that Orlando might file tampering charges. Later, Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith denied those reports. Howard denied ever meeting with the Nets, and the Nets deny meeting with Howard.
So what exactly is going on? Well the truth may never be known, but for a short period of time yesterday, I am sure Nets fans everywhere were worried that not only would their team lose out on acquiring Howard, but fines could be levied, and draft pciks could have been lost. Such a consequence would have set the Nets back anywhere from 3-5 years, and also Deron Williams would surely have walked. All of this became a moot point however, when on Friday night Howard’s agent said that he and Howard had been granted permission to explore potential trade offers, including from the Nets.
Where does this leave things? I don’t know. I am just as confused about it as the next guy. Every minute, different rumors come out and different things are said. And that is exactly why this is a circus atmosphere all over again for the Nets. Instead of having a normal training camp, the coaching staff is having to field questions about the Howard situation.
The Nets, meanwhile, have tried taking some of the attention off of the Howard situation by extending a qualifying offer to free agent big man Nene. It is an offer reported at 4 years, $60 million. They also signed their 2011 draft picks, first-rounder MarShon Brooks, and second rounder Jordan Williams.
It will be interesting to see where things go from here, and what twists and turns will come along the way. But for now, Howard is a member of the Orlando Magic, and both the Nets and Magic are going about business as usual.
