NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard Deal Riding on Brook Lopez's Fragile Foot

The New Jersey Nets may soon be back in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes in full force, assuming they haven't been all this time.

According to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, Brook Lopez, New Jersey's most valuable trade chip, returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since breaking his foot in the Nets' second preseason game. Lopez could be back on the court in a live game before the All-Star Break, though the Nets won't want to rush him.

After all, their ability to acquire Howard in a trade with the Orlando Magic hinges on Lopez's health and performance. Deron Williams aside, Lopez is the best player GM Billy King has to offer in any deal that would end with Superman closer to a real Metropolis. The skilled seven-footer out of Stanford averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game through his first three NBA seasons, during which he didn't miss a single game.

That being said, Lopez would never have been enough on his own to get a deal done with Orlando, even if he'd never gone down with an injury. As good as Lopez is, he's not even in the same building as Howard, much less on the same level.

Still, Lopez will be vital to the Nets' campaign to land a second perennial All-Star around whom to fashion their move to Brooklyn next season. In all likelihood, King will have to include at least one or two other teams with assets that attract Orlando's attention and that would be willing recipients of New Jersey's plethora of draft picks. He attempted to do just that prior to the season, with the Portland Trailblazers sending Gerald Wallace to Florida, though Lopez's injury quickly squashed that possibility.

For now, though, the pressure will fall on Lopez and his gimpy foot to not only look sturdy, but excel in the heat of competition. Simply put, the better Lopez plays, the less the Nets have to send to Orlando and/or the more amenable the idea of taking back Lopez becomes to the Magic.

That is, assuming Magic owner Rich DeVos warms up to the idea of letting go of his franchise center at some point between the end of All-Star weekend and the March 15th trade deadline.

Whether he does or he doesn't will have everything to do with what Lopez does when he's back in action.

Follow @J0shMart1n