NBA Trade Rumors: Why Lakers Must Go All in on Dwight Howard

For months, the Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be seeking a trade for Dwight Howard. For their future, they need to do whatever it takes to get him.

Andrew Bynum has been a solid player, however, his frequent injuries should worry the Lakers. The Orlando Magic has already shown that they are willing to take Bynum despite his physical issues. That makes it imperative that the Lakers make the deal now before Bynum gets hurt again.

Howard has proven to be the best defensive big man in the league. He has won Defensive Player of the Year three times and is on pace to win No. 4. His defense will be a perfect fit in Mike Brown's system and a huge asset to an already great defensive team.

The Lakers sit fifth in the Western Conference standings as they head into the All-Star break and are close to being championship contenders. Adding Howard to the mix will energize the team, especially Kobe Bryant.

Bryant knows the Lakers need to make a move if they want to win this year. He will see this trade as a symbol that the front office wants to win now. While this trade is more for the future, it would also have an impact right now.

This trade could also help to bring in the point guard that the Lakers desperately need. Free agents this offseason like Deron Williams will likely be interested in where Howard lands and will consider playing alongside him. If the Lakers make the trade for Howard, it would be hard for a player like Williams to resist playing  alongside Bryant, Howard and Pau Gasol.

This is the main reason why the Lakers need to make this trade. Making this move would establish Howard as the future of this team. The lure of winning now with Bryant and having a solid future with Howard would be difficult to pass up.

What might be keeping the Lakers from pulling the trigger is Gasol. The team has said it will not trade Gasol and Bynum for Howard, which is understandable. What the Lakers need to do is get a third team involved to help the Magic get what they want.

The Lakers also have to realize that as the trade deadline approaches the Magic will get more desperate to trade Howard.

We'll see if Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak makes a move before the deadline. If he was smart, he would spend all his efforts on getting Howard into purple and gold.