Los Angeles Lakers Trade Rumors: Rumored Dwight Howard Trade Huge Mistake

As we inch closer to the trading deadline, more trade rumors are surfacing. 

This latest one from Sunday night is absolutely a blockbuster explosion.

Los Angeles Lakers fans should be happy that the Orlando Magic are denying rumors about a trade that would send Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu to the Lakers, and Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon to the Orlando Magic. 

No word if the All-Star stats involved for Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum would be reversed if the trade had occurred before the All-Star Game. 

But in all seriousness, this trade just doesn't make any sense for the Lakers.

Dwight Howard over Andrew Bynum may be an improvement, but is it really that much of an upgrade?

Howard is averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds in Orlando, where he's the only star. Bynum, on a team with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, is averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds. He's become a strong defensive presence in the paint and was voted in his for his first NBA All-Star start this season. 

It's not like he's Joel Przybilla or anything.

Plus, in the aforementioned trade, the Lakers would also be giving up Pau Gasol. Gasol has been the hottest player for the Lakers during the month of February, averaging close to 13 rebounds and recording a double-double in 10 consecutive games.

And oh yeah, both players are having successful seasons with incessant trade rumors circulating over their heads. 

Howard is not a better option than the Twin Towers. Because of Bynum, Gasol and Mike Brown's new system, the Lakers have improved tremendously on defense. They're first in the league in rebounding and opponents just shoot 41.9 percent against them, good enough for second best in the NBA. 

There's no doubt that Howard is a fantastic defensive player, but having two A-minus players is better than having one A-plus player, especially when your team already has an A-plus guy in Kobe Bryant.

Also, what happens if Howard gets hurt? The Lakers all of a sudden become extremely thin up front. Let's not forget that even with Howard, their bench becomes weaker. It also messes up the rotations that Mike Brown has mixed up numerous times to figure out the most ideal second unit. 

One may argue that this trade improves the Lakers' point guard situation and because of that, the trade makes sense for the Lakers. That may be true, but the Lakers can improve their point guard situation by adding a guy like Jose Calderon, D.J. Augustin, Ramon Sessions or Ray Felton at a lower cost. 

Finally, Hedo Turkoglu is a guy that's averaging 11 points and four rebounds. That's nothing close to Pau's production. As a result, The Lakers will immediately become weaker at the power forward position and lose their identity as a tough, gritty and stifling defensive team.

With this trade, the Lakers go back to square one in terms of finding an identity. They'll have to focus on team chemistry, and what if they never find it?

The team is so potent defensively that it's not worth doing a blockbuster deal like this.

Howard may seem like the cure to all of the Lakers problems, but it's just going to open up a new can of worms. The Lakers lose depth, chemistry and size. 

And also, how can we say the Lakers even have problems when they're 14-2 at home and second in the Pacific Division despite all that's happened this year in terms of the coaching change, Lamar Odom trade, Kobe Bryant divorce and the trade rumors?

The team is fine. Just get a decent point guard and you've got a contender.

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