Dwight Howard Rumors: Orlando Magic Center Foolish to Overlook Lakers

The absurd swirl of trade rumors surrounding Dwight Howard has taken a turn for the bizarre, with the All-Star center having effectively axed the Los Angeles Lakers from his ever-changing list of potential suitors.

According to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld, Howard has already informed the Lakers (presumably by flag and/or smoke signal) that he wouldn't sign a long-term deal to stay in LA if the Magic were to ship him there before the NBA trade deadline on March 15th.

Apparently, Howard isn't too keen to stick with a Lakers squad that may or may not delve into a full-fledged rebuilding project when he's in his prime and thirty-something superstars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol reach the end of their respective deals in 2014.

What's more, "D12" would rather not follow in the Hall-of-Fame footsteps of Shaquille O'Neal, who has intentionally overlooked and implicitly derided Howard since the young big man came into the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Instead, Howard would prefer to play for the New Jersey Nets...let that sink in for a second.

No surprise, considering the affection Howard has shown for the Nets and All-Star point guard Deron Williams since he first went public with his trade demand last fall.

But really, Dwight? The Nets? The 8-15 Nets, whose roster resembles little more than a blase hodgepodge of mediocre role players and castoffs hoping to get a look from D-Will now and again?

Okay, so MarShon Brooks has looked pretty good as a rookie and Kris Humphries is arguably the most underrated big man in the league, due in large part to the hatred he engendered as Kim Kardashian's ex-boy toy.

Then again, the Nets may well have to gut their roster—Brooks and Humphries included—just to bring Dwight to the Tri-State Area as the taller half of a dynamic duo with which to debut the team in Brooklyn next season.

Unless, of course, Orlando is content to settle for a bucket of draft picks and a gimpy Brook Lopez, who, by the way, has yet to play in a single game for New Jersey this season on account of a busted foot.

Be that as it may, Howard's preference for New Jersey over LA demonstrates at decided lack of judgment and foresight that this entire fiasco has foreshadowed. With the Nets, he'd spend the next chapter of his career as a second-class citizen in New York's basketball hierarchy, behind Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire with the beloved Knicks.

Though the Nets would presumably be much improved with an All-Star tandem in Dwight and Deron, they'd still be at least another two or three years away from contending for a title. The Eastern Conference is already dominated by the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, not to mention the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers.

On the other hand, a trip to Tinseltown would afford Howard the chance to compete for rings now and into the future. He presence in the middle, as a swap replacement for All-Star Andrew Bynum, would solidify LA's own Big Three, alongside Kobe and Gasol, as a legitimate threat to win the wide-open Western Conference.

With some smart planning by GM Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the front office, the Lakers would ensure that Howard has a roster around him that's capable of contending for the NBA Finals long after Bryant and Gasol are gone. 

And what, exactly, is the harm in following Shaq's career path? Sure, Howard may not care for "The Diesel," but he can't reasonably argue with O'Neal's three titles—a total that would've grown had it not been for his own petty feud with the Black Mamba.

Such is the obsession of Howard's generation—forging his own path to global superstardom rather than pursuing greatness and championship glory where the opportunity is so obvious.

Dwight may have some success if he ends up in New Jersey/Brooklyn with Deron Williams, but if things go south and the Lakers remain relevant in the West, he'll rue the day he told the Purple and Gold he wasn't interested in being a mainstay at the Staples Center.

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