Adam Silver Calls Howard-Magic Fallout “Unfortunate Circumstance”

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a blockbuster trade this summer acquiring Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. The so-called “Dwightmare” lasted for almost two seasons, causing great tension in the City of Orlando. The Magic were not sure what they could do with their star center and the trade rumors hurt the team on and off the court.

Just a few years ago, LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. The NBA hoped the new Collective Bargaining Agreement would partly give teams more power in negotiations. However, the Dwight Howard situation showed that the players have ultimate control of where they end up going.

Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the media prior to the Hawks-Magic game and talked about what the Howard-Magic saga, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

“It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” Silver answered. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it. It’s been that way since the beginning of time, certainly since the beginning of this league. In this league in particular, superstar players have enormous leverage. We talked about, in the collective bargaining negotiations, how we can put teams in an optimal position where that doesn’t happen, and that is by giving teams the opportunity to offer longer-term contracts and greater amounts of money per year.

Dwight Howard’s acquisition was not the first time the Lakers got a star Center from a small market team. Los Angeles traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and signed Shaquille O’Neal–two centers that led the Lakers to a total of eight titles. However, Howard’s future with the Lakers is still not clear. As of now, Howard is not signed past this season; the Lakers must make re-signing him their top priority.

You May Also Like

Lakers Waive Two-Way Players D’Moi Hodge & Alex Fudge

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that they have requested waivers on two-way forward Alex Fudge and two-way guard D’Moi Hodge…

Phil Jackson Criticizes Kobe Bryant & The Top NBA News

Top Story After the Lakers lost to the Grizzlies last night, 104-85,…

Lakers Nation Roundtable: Where Does Kobe Bryant’s 60-Point Finale Rank Among His Greatest Moments?

One year ago today, Kobe Bryant did something incredible…

Draymond Green Laughs Off Magic Johnson’s Belief That Showtime Lakers Would Sweep Warriors

With the Golden State Warriors getting off to an NBA-record 14-0 start in this year’s playoffs, and now only two wins away from an NBA Championship…