NBA Trade Rumors: Why Dwight Howard to the Nets Doesn't Make Any Sense

The Brooklyn Nets are doing everything they can to make a run at Dwight Howard. If we are to believe ESPN "Insider" Chris Brousard, the framework for a deal is already in place.

Don't believe that nonsense.

There is no way, I repeat, no way that Orlando is going to ship Howard out of town for Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphres, and three first-round draft picks. If you are Orlando, that deal is the equivalent of "the poo-poo platter."

Lopez, who will be an unrestricted free agent, is about to get a raise. If you are Orlando, and you're about to rebuild, is Brook Lopez really a franchise player? If he was, would Brooklyn really be trading him? Brooks is a nice looking young player that can really score, but he isn't a star either. Humphries is only being thrown into this deal so the Magic can trade him, as they have no interest in the power forward.

As for the draft picks, if the Nets pull this deal off, they are going to be really good. That means the Magic would be getting an above-average center, a decent scoring guard and three draft picks in the late 20s. If the Magic are choosing between letting Howard walk away for nothing and taking on above-average players with long-term salary comittments, I think it's a no-brainer.

The Magic would be better off hitting the reset button.

So again, don't believe the noise coming out of Dwight Howard's camp, via Brousard, that if he is traded from the Magic, Howard will only resign with the Nets. Howard has zero bargaining power in this scenario. The Nets, after signing Deron Williams (five years, $100 million), Gerald Wallace (four years, $40 million), Mirza Teletovic (three years, over $15 million), and trading for Joe Johnson (four years left, almost $90 million), the Nets have zero flexibility to sign any free agents for the foreseeable future.

Sorry Dwight, but it doesn't look like you'll be headed to Brooklyn.

The only way Howard ends up in Brooklyn now is if the Magic front office caves in, and why would they? It's not their job to do what's best for Howard. It's their job to try to get the best deal for the Orlando Magic, and that deal, as I said recently, is with the Lakers.

The Lakers have Andrew Bynum, and they could also take on an additional salary (Hedo Turkoglu?), something the Nets can't do. The Lakers, like Brooklyn, also have a major market for Howard to play in. As Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported, when Howard inks a new deal with Adidas, it will probably double if he is playing in a major market like New York or Los Angeles.

Those extra endorsement dollars, plus the extra money the Lakers could offer Howard next year when his current contract is up (one extra year, nearly $20 million over the life of the contract) equals a whole lot of money Howard would walk away from next summer if he did sign with a team other than the Lakers.

And where would Howard go? As we said, he can't go to Brooklyn. That door has closed.

So expect Howard to go play with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. If I were the Lakers, I'd make that trade, and I'd call Dwight Howard's bluff. There is no way he walks away from a total of $40-50 million to go play somewhere else.

Even as indecisive as Howard is, that's an easy decision.