NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers' Success Forces Dwight Howard To Add Clippers to List

The more the Lakers win, the more likely it seems they don't need to mortgage both of their premier big men for Dwight Howard. This cripples Howard's west coast leverage and has forced him to consider another rising Cali squad as a possible landing spot. Howard has reportedly listed the Clippers as a new addition to the list of teams that he'd sign an extension with.

It appears that Dwight Howard's infamous list has been strategically constructed, with geography and roster talent as the main factors driving any team's inclusion. The list originally included the New Jersey Nets, L.A. Lakers and Dallas Mavericks as possible alternatives to the Orlando Magic.

The Nets are playing poorly, plus their major trade piece, Brook Lopez, has what could be a serious foot injury. Both of these factors potentially hinder a deal for Howard. The Mavericks simply don't appear to have the pieces necessary to pull off a deal for a player of Howard's stature and the Lakers are on a roll as of late.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakeshow have won six of their last seven, they are in first place in the Pacific Division and Andrew Bynum's numbers easily rival Howard's. Here is how they stack up:

Andrew Bynum 16.5 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg

Dwight Howard 19.4 ppg, 14.8 rpg, 2.3 bpg

Howard's scoring numbers would surely drop if he were playing with the Black Mamba. Is the one rebound and 0.4 blocks per game enough of an edge to warrant parting with Pau Gasol, too? No, it isn't. The only other reason would be questions about Bynum's durability and up to now, Bynum has looked fine.

Howard's inclusion of the Clippers may force the Lakers to show how much they really want the league's premier big man. Do they really want to allow their rising co-tenants of the Staples Center to nab him? Definitely not, and it's possible they could become more aggressive with that factor as a secondary motivation.

The Clippers face a conundrum in their potential interest in Howard as well. Their young core is on the rise, and the obvious key to a Clippers deal would seem to be DeAndre Jordan. He is Blake Griffin's best friend on the team and Howard and Griffin's playing style would appear to conflict. Both are bulls going to the basket and neither has an effective game out to 15 feet, so there are some questions as to how well they fit together.

Do the Clippers want to disturb their developing chemistry to add yet another major piece to their already talented squad? That remains to be seen, but the Clippers inclusion gives Howard more options.

The Clips are in a major market and they are suddenly the type of high-profile team he and Adidas would like to see him play for. Representatives have stated they would like to see Howard play in a different market than their other top basketball athlete, Derrick Rose, who rules the Midwest.

The reality is, the Lakers may no longer be interested in a trade, and the Clippers are potentially a good Plan B. We'll see if more teams are added before the trade deadline rolls around.

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