The NBA draft lottery is must-see TV for the Magic and Dwight Howard

The Orlando Magic don’t own a single pingpong ball in tonight’s NBA draft lottery, but the results could shape the franchise for the next decade.

If the Brooklyn Nets win the lottery, they could select 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis and then trade Davis’ draft rights and other players to the Magic for Dwight Howard.

It would be a win-win for all sides if, as many people expect, Howard eventually informs the Magic’s new head of basketball operations that he will not sign a long-term contract extension.

The Magic would receive Davis, who won a national title at Kentucky and is so highly regarded that, at just 19 years old, he’s a finalist for Team USA’s Olympic roster. Orlando would acquire a potential franchise cornerstone, and that would provide hope to the team’s fan base. This scenario is so appealing that Mike Bianchi suggested (only half-jokingly) that the Magic send senior vice president and lottery good-luck charm Pat Williams to Manhattan for tonight’s event, which will be televised at 8 by ESPN.

The Nets need Howard desperately. According to Yahoo! Sports, the only way point guard Deron Williams will sign with the Nets long term is if the Nets acquire Howard. (Apparently, Williams wouldn’t be satisfied to play alongside Davis and wait for Davis to develop into a superstar.) And if the Nets don’t have Williams, then the franchise will have trouble selling out its brand-new building in Brooklyn.

But know this: There is only a 7.5 percent chance that the Nets will win tonight’s lottery.

There is an 8.33 percent chance they will win the second overall pick, and there is a 9.36 percent chance they will win the third overall pick. And Davis won’t be available second or third overall.

Would the draft rights to the second or third overall pick be enough to convince the Magic to trade Howard to the Nets?

Great question.

Magic CEO Alex Martins has said the team will not enter the 2012-13 season with uncertainty about Howard’s long-term future. And that means the team is resigned to trading Howard if he informs them he won’t sign an extension.

A deal that includes Davis almost certainly would be the best deal available to the Magic.

But if you’re the Magic, and if the Nets don’t win the lottery, then you need to seek the best possible deal.

That best possible deal might not involve the Nets, and the Magic wouldn’t be under any obligation to trade Howard where he wants to go.

Indeed, a potential deal instead could involve the Houston Rockets or the Los Angeles Lakers, and by all indications, Howard isn’t enamored with either possibility.

What would Howard do then?

I believe the rumors that he would much rather be with the Nets than the Magic. He has been given every opportunity to say publicly that he’s eager to return to the team but he hasn’t done so. Howard wanted Martins to defend him when Stan Van Gundy said Howard wanted him fired, and that silence helped sour Howard’s already tenuous relationship with the franchise.

But Howard has flip-flopped before.

Just another reason to watch tonight’s draft lottery.