Ira Winderman

Note to readers: We're breaking format on a one-time basis here, to address the immediate fallout of the NBA trading deadline. So, this time only, I'm posting questions that I believe need to be addressed at the moment. But keep those cards and letters, and emails, coming and we'll get back to your questions with our April 1 mailbag.

Q: What is to be made of Dwight Howard's vacillating and ultimate decision to bypass his opt-out for 2012-13 and remain with the Magic?
A: After watching Howard's Thursday media session, the immediate impression was Dwight still is not exactly at peace with where things stand.

That led me into a conversation with an agent who represents his own A-list star. Here's his perspective:

Video   Keeping Howard gives Magic a boost March 15, 2012: PBT Extra: The Magic ensure their spot as perhaps the third-best team in the East by keeping Dwight Howard, although all they did was possibly delay his trade by one year. In the West, the Thunder are still the best, but the Lakers and Clippers helped themselves.

Dwight Howard is a lot like Joe Johnson, a somewhat laid-back presence who simply might not be cut out for the bright-lights, big-city, 24-hour-news-style type of stardom.

The agent said the ultimate resolution reminded him of how Johnson decided to take the money from the Hawks to remain in a comfortable, familiar and relatively low-pressure environment.

"Dwight could own that city," the agent said. "You go to New York or Brooklyn or however you want to phrase it and is he the same type of star there, with (Derek) Jeter and (Eli) Manning and everyone else?

"Look, I don't know him personally, but I know that he can get all his branding done just as well in Orlando. Name me one guy who's gone from what they call a small market to a big market and picked up that much more marketing, anything significant. Carmelo? Haven't seen it.

"(Howard) can be the face of that franchise for as long as he wants to be. I just think that's who he is."

We spoke a bit longer about whether this just puts off the inevitable move, but the agent said he wouldn't be surprised if Howard simply extended when again allowed, rather than go through this again.

"I can't see him wanting to do this all over next season," the agent said. "You can see it has taken a lot out of him."

Usually in these cases, it's either a strong-willed player who tells his "people" how he wants it to play out, or a strong support system that guides the player through the landmines.

Howard, it seems, got caught in the middle.

Don't be surprised if Howard winds up as the next Tim Duncan, dominant enough to be recognized for greatness even while playing his entire career outside of a major market.

Q: What happens next for the Nets?
A: It's odd that with teams such as the Lakers, Spurs and Clippers involved in deadline-day deals, a team such as the Nets requires so much focus.

Then again, this might be the last time we look in their direction for a while.

Although it's debatable when it comes to who "won" the deadline, is there any question about the day's biggest loser?

Video   Nets lose big March 15, 2012: Dwight Howard is remaining with the Magic, and that makes the Nets the biggest losers at the trade deadline.

Howard's decision was devastating to the Nets. Yes, he could still shake free in free agency in a year or perhaps sooner at the 2013 trading deadline, but it's not as if the Nets can put off their 2012-13 move to Brooklyn.

And enough about Gerald Wallace. He's the type of player you get at the deadline to say, "Hey, look, we did something." What exactly, in the grand playoff scheme, has Gerald Wallace accomplished?

Somehow, you'd think the last team that could afford to give up a pick that could be as high as No. 4 in this June's draft would be the Nets.

Instead of Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, it sure looks like the ultimate answer for the Nyets soon enough will be neither of the above.

Williams to Dallas in free agency makes far more sense for Williams than another season of this.

Yes, the Nets will have plenty of cash to spend in free agency, but for what? Certainly not anything the caliber of Howard.

Q: Who made the boldest move at the deadline?
A: Got to give it to the Nuggets. Taking on JaVale McGee is either sheer brilliance or sheer insanity.

The Nuggets already are an eclectic bunch, but also a bunch you'd have a hard time turning away from. To a degree, they're sort of the mini-Clippers, in a Chris Paul (Ty Lawson)-DeAndre Jordan (JaVale McGee)-Blake Griffin (Danilo Gallinari) type of way.

Q: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is smarter than the rest of us, isn't he?
A: Yes he is. Because San Antonio clearly is the only team that can make it work at this stage with Stephen Jackson.

Nope, never saw that deal with Golden State coming, and yet Jackson adds the dynamic element that simply wasn't there with Richard Jefferson.

Plus, it opens the door for Kawhi Leonard to start, perhaps the most significant element of the move.