Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports late Monday afternoon that the Magic are inclined not to wait much longer but want to close a deal for Dwight Howard now rather than later.
"At 5 p.m., Magic inclined to take 'best deal,' aren’t entertaining idea of playing hardball to keep Dwight longer to enhance another trade," tweets Schmitz, apparently meaning they're reviewing what's on the table from various suitors now, not waiting for what they could get later.
Ken Berger adds that the Magic "are projecting confidence that Dwight Howard will be traded by the end of the week" and that they have "no appetite for the Howard saga to linger into next week and beyond."
Meanwhile, the Nets are telling people they feel comfortable with their offer(s) to the Magic and what they've already accomplished in free agency -- re-signing their top two free agents, including their franchise player; trading expiring contracts and someone else's pick for a six-time All-Star, and quietly signing Europe's top scorer ... while still retaining the right to sign their starting center and other pieces.