NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets Still a Possibility

Yesterday the Brooklyn Nets completed a trade to land Joe Johnson in New York, and it appeared that Dwight Howard was officially off their radar.

However, a report by Chris Broussard of ESPN has surfaced this morning suggesting that the Nets and Orlando Magic are in talks about a possible deal that would send the All-Star center to Brooklyn.

The move would inevitably lead Deron Williams to remain with the Nets and would create a solid starting core of Williams, Johnson and Howard that could rival the best lineups in the league. 

Such a trade would send Dwight Howard to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks. The Nets are including in the package their 2013, 2015 and 2017 first-round draft picks, though it is unclear if any of the picks will be protected.

The Nets are hoping to get a deal done in order to have their own "Big Three" to open their new stadium in Brooklyn this upcoming season. 

If the Nets are capable of completing this deal, they would become extremely competitive in the East, and it would create the most competitive division in the NBA.

The Atlantic Division—consisting of Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia and Toronto—has only one team that would not be competitive for the playoffs this next season. The battle for the division title would be one of the most difficult, as Brooklyn, New York and Boston all would have All-Star lineups.

The Brooklyn Nets appear to be poised for a huge upgrade in talent for the season, and adding Howard would tip them toward being a championship-caliber team.

They are convinced they can win now, as they would be trading three of the next five years' first-round picks.

Watch closely over the next few days to see if a trade is completed.

Orlando doesn't want to give Dwight Howard the destination of his choice, but the package the Nets are offering would be extremely difficult to turn down.