Howard banned one game for striking ref’s arm

This isn’t the first time Howard has been the subject of trade rumors and speculation during the 2015-16 campaign, as Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com reported in December that Howard was unhappy in Houston and predicted an eventual trade to the Miami Heat. For me it is an utter embarrassment when players or coaches get fined when ever they call out piss poor officiating.

According to the NY Daily News, the Celtics “have engaged” the Rockets regarding the prized center who has been surging as of late before he was suspended for one game for hitting an official.

Boston is now 12th in the league in points per possession. In order to do that, they need the help of Howard who is now averaging a double-double for the season with 14.4 points and 11.8 rebounds through 40 games.

On defense, Howard would provide the Celtics with the one quality they don’t have: rim protection. If a team is willing to send multiple assets Houston’s way, I believe Morey would pull the trigger. Boston has had good luck with this approach before, trading for Kevin Garnett (after bringing on Ray Allen), then getting both Allen and Garnett to sign new deals once they’d had a happy taste of Boston. The Celtics have nothing to offer in return to match the talent of Dwight Howard. They would clearly prefer to do a more reasonable deal to keep him, one that doesn’t have him making approximately $41.5 million at the age of 35 in his 17th season (2020-21) – especially if they have a chance at landing Kevin Durant.

These are just a few of the hurdles Danny Ainge and the Celtics must work through between now and the trade deadline, which is just a couple weeks away.

If Howard has yet to make up his mind about next season, it is unlikely that the Rockets will let him go for anything less than an all-star.

But with Howard widely expected to demand the max, it puts the Rockets in quite the quandary.

The Celtics have plenty of assets to make a deal work with Houston, it is just a matter of whether the Rockets are asking for too much or if a trade even makes any sense for Boston.