Orlando ? The thought of Dwight Howard playing for a pro team in China or Spain or anywhere else overseas would have seemed absurd months ago.

But it doesn’t seem so farfetched anymore. Howard continues to say he might play abroad if the NBA’s labor impasse continues.

“I know you need to make a living but don’t go overseas!!!!” one fan wrote to him through Twitter on Monday.

“Listen,” Howard responded. “If I wanna go do something imma (going to) do it. It’s my life sweetie. I’m not about to jus(t) sit around. And waste my talent. So if I wanna go play anywhere imma (going to) do that.”

So what would be the pros and cons of such a move?

THE PROS

• Money: Howard won’t receive one penny of his NBA salary during the lockout, so why not earn some great money by playing overseas? All athletes have finite playing careers. Why should he give up a full season of earning power?

• Marketing: Howard can raise his profile by playing abroad and make himself even more attractive when it’s time to sign his next endorsement deal. Howard already has lucrative contracts with adidas and Gatorade, but let’s remember that those companies sell their products overseas.

• Leverage: Deron Williams already has agreed to a deal to play in Turkey. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade also won’t rule out playing internationally. If a wave of players go abroad, NBA owners would lose some leverage in the upcoming labor negotiations. Maybe then the owners would be more likely to soften their stances on some negotiating points.

• Improvement: Howard has said he would use practices and games overseas to improve weak spots in his game. Maybe he’d return to the U.S. with a more refined low-post game.

• Great experience: Howard has spent plenty of time abroad, but this would give him a chance to immerse himself in a new culture and grow as a person. Doesn’t that sound attractive?

THE CONS

• Injury: Howard can become an NBA free agent next summer, and he’ll make millions no matter what the new collective bargaining agreement looks like. But playing games anywhere is a risk. A significant injury could hurt his earning power. Why risk that? Some argue that NBA players could get hurt while they train or play pickup games in the U.S. That’s true. But can anyone say that games are officiated as cleanly overseas as they are in the U.S.?

• Steadfast owners: Perhaps the players’ union wouldn’t gain much leverage if a bunch of star players play abroad. After all, some NBA owners say they’d lose less money if the entire 2011-12 season is canceled than if the season is played. If that claim is true, then owners might not soften their negotiating stance.

• The grind: Playing overseas could have Howard tired out, and if, the NBA season does start, the league likely will compress a lot of games into a short period of time. Howard wouldn’t want to be exhausted before such a grind.

• Why are games necessary?: Why does Howard need games to improve? Last summer, he trained mostly on his own, and when he arrived at training camp, he already had a more sophisticated offensive arsenal. Why couldn’t he do the same thing again?

• Culture shock: Playing overseas isn’t necessarily easy. Sure, Howard and other NBA superstars would be granted a large degree of deference. But Howard would face a new culture, and any new team would have different expectations — expectations that would require an adjustment.