The hottest story of the 2012 NBA offseason thus far has been where Dwight Howard will land. Rumors abound that the Orlando Magic are attempting to rid themselves of the headaches that Howard has caused over the last season or so and the most popular scenario involves a three-team deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers that will send Howard to the Brooklyn Nets.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Cavs are no longer willing to be the extra team in the mix. But Cleveland's loss may end up being the gain of the Houston Rockets. There may be a new three-way deal involving Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets could be the most intriguing possibility for the Magic because they can satisfy Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan's desire to get multiple draft picks and unload significant salary off his payroll. The Lakers have the one player, Andrew Bynum, that Hennigan covets, but Bynum hasn't committed to accepting an extension in Orlando, nor do the Lakers have the salary-cap space or ready access to draft picks.
This is far from the end of the story, of course, but an intriguing possibility.
Read more on the Rockets at The Dream Shake and SB Nation Houston. Check out SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub for more offseason news.