NBA Trade Rumors: Buzz Surrounding Orlando Magic, LA Lakers and More

Dwight Howard is staying with the Orlando Magic, and the Lakers may be involved in a three-team trade.

These are just a couple of the big stories circling around the NBA trade deadline.

Things are really heating up now that the deadline draws near, so it's going to be tough to keep track of everything that's going on.

Not only that, but once you hear the news, you have to process it and figure out what it means.

There's a lot going on, so to make your life easier, here's a breakdown of the biggest buzz surrounding the biggest names and teams at the trade deadline and what it all means.

Report: Dwight Howard Waives ETO

Earlier this afternoon, ESPN's Chris Broussard tweeted that Dwight Howard had texted him saying that he had signed the waiver of his Early Termination Option. It was later confirmed by Josh Robbins of OrlandoSentinel.com:

What Does This Mean?

This means that D12 will indeed be with the Orlando Magic through next season. This gives them more time to put pieces around him and get him to sign a long-term deal.

This also means that a team like the New Jersey Nets, who was desperately trying to trade for Howard, will not get that chance. They wont even be able to go after him in free agency this summer.

Needless to say, this drastically changes the game plan for the Nets.

Rumor: Lakers Trying to get Michael Beasley

Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported today that the Lakers were trying to get Minnesota forward Michael Beasley in quite a complicated trade:

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The Lakers revisited talks to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley on Wednesday, multiple league sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com. Several variations of the trade have been discussed. One would land Beasley on the Lakers in a three-team deal that would send Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford to the Wolves and Luke Ridnour from Minnesota to Portland. Los Angeles would give up one of its two 2012 first-round draft picks in the deal and use its $8.9 million trade exception, acquired when it traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December, to absorb Beasley's approximate $6.3 million salary. Portland would also receive the Lakers' first-round pick.

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USA Today's J.Michael has tweeted that the deal seems unlikely now, though, as Beasley is practicing with the team:

What Does This Mean?

Well, the Lakers will get a little bit better as far as talent is concerned, but I'm not sold on Beasley. He's highly underperformed since coming into the NBA, and he has a reported history of character issues. 

The damage would be much worse if the Lakers can't get some kind of trade done, though, and right now that seems like a likely scenario. They need to get younger and more athletic, especially at point guard, and they can't seem to make any sort of trade happen as of late.

The Lakers are a mess right now, so being able to pull off a trade to improve the team is important.

If it doesn't happen, it will be very disappointing to Lakers fans.

Rumor: Teams Interested in Ray Allen?

Adrian Woknarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that there are several contenders interested in trading for Celtics' sharp-shooter Ray Allen:

What Does This Mean?

If a contender can snag a shooter like Allen, they will be much better for it.

He's getting a lot older, but he's still got a few more big shots left in him. He's averaging 14.6 points, 2.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds at 36 years old.

If the Celtics can get younger and more talented by trading him, either by receiving players or picks, this could be a good potential deal for all parties that would be involved.