Dwight Howard put an end to the speculation about what he’d like for his future. He told Yahoo! Sports that he wants to accompany the Nets in their move to Brooklyn.
“There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that,” Howard said to the website.
At the same time, Howard does not have any clauses in his contract that would allow him to block a trade to one of the other 29 teams if the Magic agree to a deal.
Howard also denied an ESPN report that he had told people Orlando Magic officials had “blackmailed” him into forgoing the early termination option on his contract that ultimately cost him his free agency this summer, according to Yahoo! Sports.
“I never used the word blackmail in reference to any of my dealings with the Magic,” Howard told Yahoo! Sports. “I never said that. It’s defamatory and it’s inaccurate. I know what blackmail means and any report that I used the term incorrectly is inaccurate.”
On Friday, Howard met with new general manager Rob Hennigan and told him he wants to be traded to the Nets.
“This was not the first time (that I asked for trade),” Howard said. “I communicated this to (Magic president) Alex (Martins) and (former general manager) Otis (Smith) way before Friday that I wanted to be traded — months before this meeting with Rob Hennigan. That was all way before Stan (Van Gundy) got fired.”
Hennigan was noncommittal when Howard told him he wants to be traded to Brooklyn, sources said.
