NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Reasons Why Dwight Howard Should Prefer the LA Clippers

After it seemed like Dwight Howard had added the Los Angeles Clippers to his wish list, it was later reported that he never really wanted to join them in the first place.

But the question to Howard is why wouldn't he want to join the Clippers?

It's a better option than the LA Lakers.

But how can playing for LA's "second" team be a better option than playing for one of the league's most storied franchises?

Here are five obvious reasons why Howard should try to force his way to the Clippers. 

Associated as the Franchise Player

Dwight Howard knows what it feels like to define a franchise. He's done it his whole career in Orlando. Other than maybe Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight is the greatest Magic player of all time.

He can be the greatest Clipper of all time if he goes there and wins a ring alongside Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. 

If Howard goes to the Lakers, he'll just be another Laker legend in a never-ending list of memorable names like Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and James Worthy. 

While being mentioned with those names will be a great honor for Howard, isn't it more appealing to pave your own path and be the man that took a franchise from years of misery to the top of the mountain? 

Bigger Window of Opportunity

Let's face it. 

Kobe Bryant is not getting any younger and while he's still dominating and putting up great numbers for the Lakers, he has a limited number of years left in his tank.

The Lakers are also extremely weak at the point guard position with the aging Derek Fisher seemingly not being able to defend against any of the quick, young point guards dominating the NBA today.

With the Clippers, Dwight Howard surrounds himself with a young and exuberant team that is destined to be competitive for years to come. Chris Paul is still in his prime. Blake Griffin hasn't even hit his yet. 

The core of Griffin, Howard and Paul will be more capable of knocking off LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. 

If Howard goes to the Lakers, he'll probably have one or two chances to win a title with Kobe. With the Clippers, he'll have over half a decade's worth of time. This means he can win multiple rings and cement his legacy as the greatest big man of his era. 

More Talent

As mentioned in the previous slide, Dwight Howard will be able to win multiple rings with the Los Angeles Clippers because of their youth compared to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are old and banged up usually come playoff time.

Adding to that notion, the Clippers are just more talented than the Lakers even without Howard. The Lakers can't stop Chris Paul to begin with because of their aging backcourt. Imagine Howard is now clogging up the paint, making life difficult for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. 

The Clippers would then have tons more talent than the Lakers in the backcourt, in the paint and on the wings. 

And nobody would be blaming Howard for taking an easy route for a championship because he'd be going to the Clippers, who naturally have an inferiority complex compared to the Lakers.

It's Still LA

As much as you want to think that the Los Angeles Clippers are a small-market team, here's news for you:

They're not.

They play in the same exact building as the Los Angeles Lakers do. Playing for the Clippers still means that Howard gets to reap the benefits of living in LA.

This isn't Boise, Idaho we're talking about. 

Howard is getting the opportunity to play with world-class players in a world-class city. 

Orlando Would Be Better off If Dwight Went to the Clippers

If the Los Angeles Clippers were to acquire Dwight Howard, they would probably have to ship off a bunch of their young talent to Orlando. 

They have guys like DeAndre Jordan, Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe that they can send to the Magic. They'll be major building blocks for Orlando's rebuilding process.

At the same time, Howard will know that his former team, which he gave his heart and soul to for so long, is in good hands.

If Howard goes to the Lakers, at most the Magic will just be able to acquire Andrew Bynum. Bynum may be a great young talent, but he's always been surrounded by solid teammates like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Plus, he's had a history of being injury-prone.