Lakers Trade Rumors: Lake Show Should Back Away from Dwight Howard Mess

At precisely 3:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, we're going to know for sure where Dwight Howard will be playing basketball for the foreseeable future.

Wednesday was a wild day in the Howard sweepstakes. First, word came out that Howard had decided to stay with the Magic beyond this season. Then word came out that he hadn't decided anything yet. Then word came out that he had indeed decided to stay. Then word came out that he had decided not to stay.

You can check out my collection of the key reports if you need to catch up. Just know that the only thing missing is a late-night report from RealGM.com that Howard had confirmed that he will be waiving the early termination option in his contract to return to the Magic in 2012-2013. 

I'll speak for myself and say that I'll believe it when he signs the paperwork.

To make a long story short, all we really know about the Howard situation is that it's impossible to know what's going on from one moment to the next. Nothing is certain. But we know via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports what the thinking around the league is:

"

Nevertheless, multiple league executives believe Magic's decision is now cemented that they'll trade Dwight Howard before Thursday deadline.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 15, 2012"

Wojnarowski would later report that the Magic were "aggressively" shopping Howard as of Wednesday night, with the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets standing front and center as key suitors.

But the Los Angeles Lakers can't be counted out quite yet. We know this because Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reported on Wednesday that the Lakers have been "engaged" with the Magic in trade talks this week, and that deals have been discussed.

If this is true, the Lakers need to stop what they're doing. Like, right now. 

You can't fault the effort, but this is a situation that the Lakers should want no part of. It's just not worth it.

It's not worth it because the upgrade the Lakers stand to make my adding Howard just isn't worth it. Dealing for Howard would mean giving up Andrew Bynum, a potential swap that has been reported by numerous publications and numerous writers over the last several months, most recently by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

Switching Bynum out for Howard would be an improvement, but not a drastic improvement in the short term. Bynum has been healthy all season, and he's been very productive.

The Lakers wouldn't win that many more games with Howard than they would with Bynum, and assuming that the Lakers would suddenly be championship favorites with Howard instead of Bynum would be assuming a lot. The talent would be there, but figuring out the chemistry on a team with Kobe Bryant, Howard and (probably) Pau Gasol would be a tall task, for Mike Brown or any other coach.

But when it comes to a potential deal for Howard, the bigger problem is what kind of relationship would exist between Howard and the Lakers in the future. It's been reported that Howard is lukewarm on the idea of signing an extension with the Lakers, as he's iffy on the idea of teaming with Kobe and on the idea of walking the same path as Shaquille O'Neal.

The Lakers could deal for Howard and worry about changing his mind later, but there's one big problem with that idea.

Howard is the most indecisive player in sports. EVER. Trying to get him to make up his mind is like pulling teeth.

Howard's indecisiveness is a big reason why his situation in Orlando is such a mess. He can't make up his mind what he wants, and that can be chalked up to his desire to be liked by all. In trying not to rub anyone the wrong way, he's rubbing everyone the wrong way.

Howard is a headache the Lakers don't need, now or later. They have Bynum, and they know from his performance this year that he's an All-Star-caliber center when he's healthy. If they fail to win championships this year and in the years to come, it won't be because they're weak at center. It will be because they're weak elsewhere.

Swap out Bynum for Howard, and the same problem would exist. Bynum couldn't win a title with a weak supporting cast, and we know for a fact that Howard can't either.

Despite his waffling, that's the whole reason he wants out of Orlando. If Howard were to find himself in the same situation in Los Angeles, there's no reason to think he would operate any differently.