LA Lakers: Is Money Really a Concern When It Comes to Howard, Williams?

Los Angeles Lakers fans definitely dream big when it comes to acquiring talent in order to maintain competitive relevance, and based on on the team's history, why shouldn't they?

There is a reason the Lakers are arguably NBA history's most successful franchise, and that reason is mostly due to their ability to renew the team's talent base.

The Lakers have missed the postseason a total of five times in the history of their franchise, and they have competed in at least 50 percent of the league's NBA Finals series.

Los Angeles is slightly behind the Boston Celtics when it comes to the number of championships won, but they are the only NBA franchise that has reached the finals at least once in each of the past three decades.

In order to maintain that streak the Lakers must once again prove they are capable of luring top talent to Hollywood, and coincidentally their future may hinge on the two biggest free-agent names left on the market.

Should they officially decline their player options, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams will be the top players available in the upcoming free-agency bonanza of 2012, and each star has been linked to trade speculation concerning the Lakers.

Most Lakers fans would be happy to sign either Howard or Williams, but popular opinion suggests signing both players may be beyond the realm of possibility—or is it?

The Lakers are the only NBA team able to offer top-five positional players in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for Howard or Williams, but most of the arguments against completing that coup revolve around their ability to pay for it.

But when has money ever really mattered to Lakers owner Jerry Buss?

The new NBA collective bargaining agreement imposes a stricter penalty for teams who venture beyond the league's salary cap, but is there anyone who thinks Buss is afraid to circumvent the new rules?

The Lakers had the league's highest payroll during the 2010-11 season and their cap number includes Kobe Bryant's three-year, $90 million contract.

Bryant's contract made him the highest paid player in the NBA, despite the fact that Buss had to pay the luxury tax in order to make it happen, which should be a scary proposition for the rest of the league when it comes to Howard and Williams.

Buss has not shaped the Lakers legacy by being frugal, and the failed deal for point guard Chris Paul illustrates his large ambitions.

The Lakers had completed a legitimate trade for Paul before it was inexplicably nixed by NBA commissioner David Stern at the behest of disgruntled owners, but that deal provides a blueprint for the team's future plans.

If the Paul deal had been approved, it is widely assumed the Lakers would have used Bynum as trade bait in order to acquire Howard.

Stern's jellyfish spine may be the only reason the Lakers' master plan is not unfolding right now, but his stupidity may have made it easier for the franchise to accomplish its ultimate goal.

There is no concrete reason for Stern rejecting the proposed deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers beyond the fact that other owners did not like it, and it's highly doubtful he would take the same approach again.

I will admit it may be improbable for the Lakers to sign both Howard and Williams, but it's not impossible.

Some people may laugh at the thought of Los Angeles signing Howard and Williams, but those people are likely the same ones who have been watching the Lakers win championships while their own teams flounder.