Rockets' Howard denies he's looking to be traded

If the Houston Rockets look to move center Dwight Howard prior to the Feb. 18 trade deadline, it will be without the eight-time All-Star's blessing.

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday afternoon that Houston had been reaching out to teams in search of potential trades for Howard. Dan Fegan, Howard's agent, released a statement shortly thereafter saying he and his client had never requested a deal and weren't working with management to expedite one.

"Dan's statement is true," Howard told ESPN's Marc Stein later Thursday. "I have not asked the Rockets to trade me. Nor have I talked about right trades. I want to win. I want this situation to work. I chose this team. And I'm not running because we have been faced with some adversity."

Howard reportedly plans to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, bypassing his player option worth over $23 million for next season.

He's currently averaging a double-double of 14.6 points and 12 rebounds for an underachieving Rockets team (27-28) which enters the All-Star break half a game out of the playoff race in the Western Conference.