The Magic are still open to making trades, reports Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel.

Schmitz writes that the Magic still like both Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony -- they are partial to Paul -- and they'll trade anyone but Dwight Howard for either All-Star.

Orlando knows they need a big-time scorer to compete with Miami and Boston and might even be willing to take a brief step back to reload if they were to add Paul or Anthony.

The Magic and Wizards discussed a trade that involved both Gilbert Arenas and Vince Carter this past summer.

According to sources, the conversations involving a Carter-for-Arenas swap didn't go very far, even though a deal would match up financially.

Arenas knows rumors linking him to the Magic will continue because of his relationship with general manager Otis Smith, who worked with the Warriors when the guard was with Golden State.

"That's all because of the relationship that I have with Otis Smith. He was my mentor in Golden State, and we've had a close relationship since," said Arenas.

"Because of the connection we have, I think people just associate us. It's a personal relationship. He was like a father to me. When I decide to make deals, that's who I call, and he takes his bias out of it and tells me to think like a professional."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson offered an apology on Friday for comments made earlier in the week about the Heat and their coaching situation.

When Miami fell to 8-6 this week, Jackson said: "The scenario that sits kind of behind the scene, is that eventually these guys that were recruited -- Bosh and James -- by Pat Riley and Micky Arison, the owner, are going to come in and say, 'We feel you [Riley] can do a better job coaching the team. We came here on the hopes that this would work,' and whatever, I don't know. That's kind of my take on it, is that eventually if things don't straighten out here soon, it could be the [Stan] Van Gundy thing all over again."

Jackson backed off on Friday.

"It was an off-handed remark about if things continue to go poorly for Miami, what might happen," he said. "But, obviously Stan felt that he had to say something. Unfortunately he got defensive about it. I didn't mean to do that. I should apologize because I do know about his situation."

That was the apology, but there was also a jab at Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who called Jackson "ignorant" after the comments.

"Stan was going home to be with his family and that was his reason for leaving," Jackson said. "I have no idea about the rest of it; why he came back out [to a head coaching job] after retiring and being with his family. But, that's his decision and fine."

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy took exception to Phil Jackson's recent comments about Pat Riley returning to coach the Heat.

Riley replaced Van Gundy as Miami's coach in 2006 and led the team to an NBA title.

Van Gundy called Jackson's comments "inappropriate" and "ignorant" when he hinted that Riley should fire coach Erik Spoelstra and replace him on the bench.

"Phil has no idea what the Van Gundy situation was because, even though he coaches in our league, he certainly had no insight or knowledge of that," Van Gundy said.

"So an analogy he'd make to my situation would be totally useless because he doesn't have any clue what the situation was in that case."

Van Gundy resigned in December 2005 after the Heat went 11-10 through the early stretch of their season, he cited personal reasons for the decision.

"To second-guess another coach and comment on a situation he knows nothing about -- it's inappropriate. And it's also ignorant," Van Gundy said. "I don't mean that commenting on Phil's intelligence. He's obviously a very smart guy. I mean it as ignorant [in that] he doesn't know what that situation was and he doesn't know what the situation is now.

"I don't think, unless their relationship has changed drastically, that [Jackson] and Pat talk on a regular basis. So I doubt he would have any information whatsoever on what's going on in Miami."

An MRI on the left knee of Magic swingman Vince Carter on Tuesday revealed no structural damage.

Carter will be a game-time decision for Wednesday night's game against Miami.

He injured his knee midway through the fourth quarter against the Spurs on Monday night. Carter made a spin move and converted a layup on the play, but landed awkwardly on his left foot.

"When I made the spin move and went up for the layup, as I landed, I just felt some sharp pain go through my knee, under the kneecap more so than anything," he told the Orlando Sentinel.

"I just wasn't sure. I just wanted to go to the back and try to run it off and I couldn't. I couldn't get any push off on it."

The Magic-Knicks game that was postponed November 2, has been rescheduled for Monday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden, the National Basketball Association announced Tuesday.

The NBA has rescinded the technical foul Magic center Dwight Howard received on Nov. 3 against the Timberwolves.

That brings Howard's total for the season down to four.

The league automatically suspends a player for one-game when he reaches 16 technical fouls in a season.

Dwight Howard wants to stay in Orlando, but signing an extension with the team this coming summer isn't a guarantee.

It's not "automatic" those close to Howard told The Orlando Sentinel.

Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide says he wouldn't be surprised if Howard waits to make a decision, mainly because of the NBA's uncertain labor situation.

Magic center Dwight Howard was whistled for his fifth technical foul of the young season on Friday night.

Howard leads the NBA in the category.

Before the season, Howard insisted that he would try to stay away from technicals this season. He hasn't and the league's plan to crack down on complaining has accelerated his rate of whistles.

"I don't know what to do," he said. "I just gotta try to not say anything ever. Just hold my emotions in. I don't know."

The NBA automatically suspends players one-game when they receive their 16th technical foul of the season.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is still tinkering with his starting rotation more than two weeks into the 2010-11 season.

Van Gundy has moved Rashard Lewis around and swapped Quentin Richardson and Ryan Anderson on and off the bench.

"We've got to decide what to do," Van Gundy said.

"You're not going to overreact to one game, but at all our positions, I'm pretty patient, but we've got some guys that just really aren't being very productive. So, we've got other guys sitting down. They're going to have to get a chance to play if other guys are not going to produce. We've got too many good players to just give people minutes for a long period of time."