Lakers Rumors: Trading Pau Gasol to Orlando Is Only Way to Get Dwight Howard

The Los Angeles Lakers have one chance to get star center Dwight Howard on their team and that’s by going all-in on a trade. That means Andrew Bynum AND Pau Gasol.

While the perennial All Star and double-double machine may not want to re-sign with the Lakers once he is traded to L.A., the best chance the team has of swaying his opinion will be by showing him what he could be missing out on.

ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard is reporting about the truth to the speculation that Howard would not re-sign with the Lakers:

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I'm getting conflicting information on Howard's desire to play for the Lakers. Reports suggest Howard has cooled on the idea of playing alongside Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and a plugged-in source insists that Howard definitely does not want to play for the Lakers. But another person close to the situation insists that Howard remains open to the possibility of playing long-term with the Lakers.

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The idea that Howard would walk at the end of the season and become a free agent after the Lakers had to trade away some of their biggest stars would be a disaster, so the team would only do this if they felt they had the inside lane in re-signing the star.

As far as what a deal between the two teams would look like and which key parts would have to be moved, this would be the definition of blockbuster trade.

Broussard is also reporting about what it would take to get this deal done:

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While the Lakers have been reluctant to give up Gasol and Andrew Bynum for Howard, that trade, perhaps with Hedo Turkoglu thrown in, remains a possibility.

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While there are hundreds of factors to take into consideration for Los Angeles at this point, the first decision needs to be whether or not the center will re-sign if the Lakers trade for him.

If Howard shows interest in the Lakers' future plans and would be willing to stay in L.A. long-term, the team is ready for a seismic shift and that’s exactly what this deal would bring.

Kobe Bryant’s legs aren’t getting any younger and his time to win is now. Howard won’t want to play second fiddle to anyone, but the bright lights of L.A. and the allure of building his brand in a media powerhouse may be enough for Howard to take the chance and stand with Kobe until he retires.

If Howard hits free agency, he will not sign with the Lakers. L.A.’s only choice is to trade for the star or risk never having him on their team.

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