Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Lakers Can Offically Give Up Dream of Landing Howard

The LA Lakers are one public mess right now, and it looks like enough reason for Dwight Howard to stay far away.

CBS Sports’ Ken Berger sounded off on the front office situation this week after speaking with multiple sources. One of them believes the odds of the Orlando Magic center coming to Hollywood are pretty much at zero:

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“The other GMs know what's going on,” said one of the people familiar with the Lakers' chaos. “Jim has no relationships with other GMs, and they also know they're going to be able to swoop in there and do things [in trades]. This is a real critical time. The chances of Dwight Howard coming in there are slim and none at this point.”

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Ever since owner Dr. Jerry Buss’ son, Jim, became executive vice president, the behind-the-scenes running of the franchise has been an unresponsive mess. Berger uses the words “nepotism” and “nincompoops” to describe the current state of the franchise.

He fired numerous longtime employees before the lockout as the franchise tried to “wash their hands” of anything Phil Jackson had touched.

Kobe Bryant recently spoke out in defense of teammate Pau Gasol, publicly telling management he wished they would make their mind up one way or another. When Kobe speaks publicly like this, it’s not good according to another Berger source: 

"When Kobe speaks up, it means things are getting bad. It means nobody's telling him anything."

The organization has no communication as the Buss family slowly consumes all parts of the operation. Howard may not be thrilled with how the Magic have the highest payroll in the league and a former executive called him while intoxicated, but at least it’s not a family-run business.

Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals (who have zero playoff wins in 20 years) what it’s like when the organization is predominantly run by one family. There are zero unique ideas, and every meeting lacks creative and fresh ideas. Then, there is the whole issue with ACTUALLY COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER TEAMS.

Right now, the culture Buss has cultivated makes it incredibly difficult to get in touch with the higher ups. It seems as if GM Mitch Kupchak is on his own.

Howard may be pretty stupid with the way he has handled the trade demands, but at least he understands you can’t win without a front office that is diverse and openly communicating with the rest of the league.

The pressure on Kobe’s shoulders is mounting, and that’s why he spoke up. He did it for a reason. The Lakers front office is a mess, and Howard is not the superhero to swoop in and solve all the problems, especially with the coolest owner in the league (Mark Cuban) on his radar.

Something needs to change in the organization rather quickly before the Lakers turn into a place coveted free agents steer clear of.