Miami Heat trade rumors 2015: Dwight Howard heading to South Beach?

Could Dwight Howard be on his way out of Houston? Sheridan suggests that Howard could be on the move to the Miami Heat in exchange for a package involving Hassan Whiteside.

This inconsistency has Houston (12-14) in seventh place in the Western Conference after reaching the conference finals last season. He’s the sixth leading scorer for the Rockets right now with just 13 points and 8.3 field goal attempts per game, and if Houston could get Whiteside in return for a Howard package deal, it’s more than worth it. So far, he has managed only 12.6 points and 8.3 shots per game, a big dip if you compare his performance for the past two seasons in Houston. One of the team that is struggling for consistency this season is the Miami Heat. He previously has been frustrated with his number of touches while playing for the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.

This, along with the recent rumblings that Howard isn’t happy playing a secondary role to James Harden, could eventually lead to the team dealing the former two-time Defensive Player of the Year. “I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better”, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, but the reality is that Howard has been unhappy before and demanded trades so this wouldn’t be a surprise if it was true.

It’s wise for Howard to exercise his player option and seek free agency this summer, as he wants to earn what a franchise player earns one last time.

“Since I’ve taken over (for fired coach Kevin McHale 11 games into the season), I’ve tried to spend a lot of time with Dwight”, Bickerstaff said, via USA TODAY Sports. “And I want to make this thing work here”.

The Celtics will, of course, be mentioned in any and every potential mega-deal given the amount of draft picks they own and solid, cap-friendly players on their current roster.

In his report Sheridan went as far as predicting that Howard would end up wearing a Heat uniform at some point this year.

Bryant and Howard briefly exchanged hugs on Saturday after the Lakers-Rockets tie.

The 37-year-old Bryant hadn’t dunked in the Lakers’ first 25 games, and Staples Center roared when he drove the lane and threw down on Clint Capela in the third quarter. The Heat would most likely have to trade Luol Deng, whose salary is over $10 million, and Chris Andersen, who has a $5-million contract, yet isn’t part of the team’s rotation.