Dwight Howard & Chris Paul Rockets Update: Teammates, Friends?

There's been plenty of Dwight talk over the last 72 hours.

Rockets fans, no matter what decision Dwight Howard makes, feel lucky.

Magic fans absorbed years of Dwight's indecision and platitudes. We may only need to wait two weeks. Free agents can sign on July 1st.

That being said, here's your weekend Dwight update:

Dwight Howard & Chris Paul: In Cahoots!

ESPN's Chris Broussard has anonymous sources saying Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are considering teaming up. The article makes no mention of Houston.

It hints Dwight would prefer Atlanta and Chris Paul would prefer the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul and Howard have been communicating via text messages. This is not the first time they've talked about teaming up together.

During the lockout of 2011, they spoke often about going to Dallas together to play for the Mavericks. But their subsequent trades, Howard's decision to opt into the final year of his contract in Orlando and Dallas' current payroll situation seemed to eliminate the possibility of them becoming teammates.

There's any number of circumstances that would need to come together to make this happen.

For the LA Clippers, they would require a sign and trade with the Lakers. Anyone see that happening?

In any scenario, Dwight would need to admit Chris Paul is the chief and express a willingness to be a silent warrior capable of following instructions.

As always, there's a troubling anonymous nature. There's no reason to question the legitimacy, but you always yearn to know which camp is pushing this. Could the two be working together to make sure they each get what they want from their respective teams?

Chandler Parsons: I'm Friends With Dwight

Parsons joined Jim Rome and endorsed bringing Dwight Howard to Houston. He believes Dwight is the missing piece that makes the Houston Rockets a 2014 title contender:

"I'm good friend with Dwight and we talk. When he's healthy and when he's playing, he's the best center in the NBA... To add a piece like Dwight could really make us take the next step and contend for a championship next year."

"But I don't see why he wouldn't pick Houston with the excitement we got down there. We got a young team. We got a great Hall of Fame coach in Coach McHale. Especially being a center, what better coach to play for than him."

As a reminder: Free agency doesn't officially begin until July 1. The Rockets organization is not allowed to hold conversations with Dwight or talk about Dwight publicly until then.

There is no restriction to prevent players from having conversations with one another. Players can talk and text about sunshine, Kenny Chesney albums or creating a super team through free agency or force trades. See: Big Three: James, Wade & Bosh.

Magic: Dwight is a good fit for Houston

Magic Johnson knows a thing or two about the Los Angeles Lakers and he wants them to be perpetual title contenders. Now, even he's in agreement that Dwight Howard is the missing piece of the puzzle for the Rockets:

I would say that he probably would enjoy playing for (Rockets coach) Kevin McHale because coach McHale was a Hall of Fame player and, I feel, with Tim Duncan, the best power forward that has ever played the game.

With Dwight Howard, (Houston) would take the next step as being one of the elite teams - I would say one through four or five one of the best four or five teams in the league - and definitely would give themselves a chance to win a championship.

Houston Chronicle 6/12/2013

It's tough to know if Magic is waiving a small flag at this point. He's said all the right things about Dwight's skill, potential and ability to wear the purple and gold over the years. He kept that up in this interview.

But at the end of the day, could Magic think the team has devolved into a circus?

Shaq: Lashes Out At Dwight

Queue the circus.

Shaq laid into Dwight Howard and his purple and gold credentials in an interview with ESPN radio.

Shaq questioned Dwight's motivation and respect for the Lakers organization. Shaq has previously called on Dwight to take his game to the next level, but these attacks seem pretty personal:

"I looked up and I saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt [Chamberlain's] jersey -- all the great jerseys," O'Neal said. "He (Jerry West) told me, he said, 'I know you do movies. I know you do albums but you need to get at least two or three championships while you're here or this move will be considered a bust.'"

Listen to the ESPN interview for the full take.

Howard: Maintains his silence

Dwight maintained his silence this week in an LA Times interview. He made no mention of where his future is and brushed off the chatter coming from people like us:

"It's OK. People are going to talk, and everybody is going to have an opinion on any type of situation," Howard said in a phone interview with The Times. "I totally understand that."

In the meantime, Deadspin broke news about Dwight's off-court future.

He'll be voicing a turkey in an upcoming animated movie. There are plenty of jokes here.

Dwight, there's sound studios in Houston, FYI.