Time Grows Short for Magic to Move Howard ORLANDO, Fla. - The Magic chief executive Alex Martins said on Tuesday that the team had not made a decision on whether to trade the star center Dwight Howard, but that it would have several potential trading partners, including "plenty of teams that would take him without any assurances" of having him next season. Speaking before the Magic played the Miami Heat at Amway Center, Martins said that the team was not focused on any one offer, despite speculation that the Nets would be the target because they are the team Howard reportedly wants to join. "I don't think we have everyone's final deal yet," Martins said, suggesting that the next two days - the trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. - will be a game of high-stakes poker between Howard and the Magic, and the Magic and the bidders. Martins and the Magic are still hoping that Howard will agree to a long-term deal to remain in Orlando, or at least commit to an option year that would keep him around through next season and give the team more time to improve its roster. "He's never said in any one discussion, "I want to stay, I want to go," " Martins said, adding: "I still think there's a big part of him that wants to be here. Does that translate into him being here? There's a lot of things pulling at him. Martins also addressed an ESPN report that the Magic ownership had promised Howard that it would supply a companion star by next season, if not by Thursday, and that Howard would be allowed to decide on whether Coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith would be retained beyond this season. "I can tell you that only the DeVos family will decide that, with input from people in the organization," Martins said. Van Gundy responded to the ESPN report in typical outspoken fashion, saying: "I've said this many times - I really don't give a damn about getting fired. Getting fired is not painful. What's painful is the process of getting fired. He was referring to losing games - which the Magic have not done on a regular basis this season despite the distraction of the Howard trade talk. The team has the third-best record in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago and Miami. But Van Gundy conceded that "this is a strange situation." "If they want to fire me to please somebody, fine," he said. He added that the frustrating part of the season for him had been the lack of interest in the Magic's results and the focus on whether Howard was staying or going.