Dwight Howard said he will re-sign with only one team, if he was traded, or he will play out the final year of his contract and test the free agent market.
Howard also confirmed he had asked the Orlando Magic front office for a trade - understood to be the Brooklyn Nets. Multiple League sources say, the Magic center will only re-sign with the Nets, and with it increasing the likelihood of star free agent point guard Deron Williams staying in with the Nets.
Williams is considering offers from his hometown team of Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets are reportedly trying to trade for the NBA's premier big man, but will now have to think twice after Howard's latest statements.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports on the phone, the 26-year-old said: "There's only one team on my list and if I don't get traded there, I'll play the season out and explore my free agency after that."
Howard also rubbished an ESPN.com report saying he had been "blackmailed" into signing the one-year option instead of becoming a free agent this summer. "I never used the word blackmail in reference to any of my dealings with the Magic," Howard said.
"I never said that. It's defamatory and it's inaccurate.
"I know what blackmail means and any report that I used the term incorrectly is inaccurate."
Howard also said he had requested for a trade while revealing it was not the first time he had made such a request. "This was not the first time (that I asked for trade)," Howard said.
"I communicated this to (Magic president) Alex (Martins) and (former general manager) Otis (Smith) way before Friday that I wanted to be traded; months before this meeting with Rob Hennigan.
"That was all way before Stan (Van Gundy) got fired."
