NBA trade deadline: 5 trade destinations for Dwight Howard

Howard played his best hoops in the Southeast Division playing for the Orlando Magic from 2004-12. Would the Rockets consider a trade with the Miami Heat to send Howard back to the Eastern Conference before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline?

Miami is almost certainly going to make the Eastern Conference playoffs in the second year post-LeBron James era in South Beach. The Heat have the fifth-best record in the East at 29-24 and are only a game back of the Atlanta Hawks in the Southeast Division race.

Since Howard already tried to become teammates with Chris Bosh before in Houston, it is conceivable that a trade sending Hassan Whiteside to the Rockets could serve as enough of a return to bring Howard to Miami. Whiteside, like Howard, will test free agency this summer.

The Heat would have one of the Eastern Conference’s deadliest frontcourts with Bosh at stretch four and Howard gravitating toward a traditional center fit at the five. Miami is already a strong defensive team under head coach Erik Spoelstra and is a surprisingly better team defensively when Whiteside isn’t on the court.

Offensively, the Heat would still be a mess with Howard joining the team, but pairing him with Bosh down low defensively would make it mighty hard to get points on the Heat in the paint come playoff time. Great low post defense was a great compliment to LeBron James’ nightly Herculean efforts to get the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA Finals last season.

Low post defense could get the Heat as far as the Eastern Conference Finals this year if given the right playoff matchup. Since Howard and Bosh are friends, there is a strong chance that he would re-sign with the Heat this upcoming summer.

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