Dwight Howard Rumors: Lakers Must Trade Andrew Bynum and Land Superman

If the Lakers get their way, there could be a new version of the Miami Heat in town.

After completing the ultimate coup with a sign-and-trade deal for Steve Nash on the Fourth of July, the Lakers—contrary to popular perception—aren't quite done yet. Nor is Grant Hill the final piece of the puzzle.

Dwight Howard is still the final piece, and the Lakers can't give up on trying to land him when they're so close to building as unbeatable a contender as anyone.

But don't expect Kobe Bryant to be picking up the phone and convincing Howard to come to L.A. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, that isn't going to happen. Bryant isn't going to risk alienating Bynum in the event that a trade doesn't actually happen.

But Kobe might not have to do anything. Wojnarowski reports that Howard has long craved the opportunity to play with an elite point guard, and now that Nash is headed to the Lakers, it might be the deciding factor that compels him to take his talents to L.A.

There's still the chance that the Nets—and their own elite point guard, Deron Williams—have a shot at landing Howard. But the Lakers can offer Bynum to the Magic. And Howard offers the Lakers a face of the team who will endure, even after Bryant is done.

A deal between these two might just be too good to pass up, and a source familiar with the situation told Wojnarowski that it's not too late to make a deal:

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I think with Nash in the house now, [the Lakers] wouldn’t need an assurance up front. They know that Dwight can be impressionable and craves Hollywood. I think they would take that chance.

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Pundits have long complained that Bynum will never be a star for the Lakers. They say he'll never be the face of the franchise, he's moody, he's difficult to deal with and he doesn't play hard enough for Bryant.

While Howard has his own faults, there's no questioning that he's the best center in the game, and for him, the chance to play with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash would present an unparalleled opportunity.

It's a win-win for everybody. Nash, Bryant and Howard all get to play with the best of the best. The Magic finally find a fair trade partner in the Lakers.

Kobe might not be willing to pick up the phone, but he doesn't have to. Howard has seen enough over the last week to know that if he joins L.A., he'll have the best possible chance to win a title.

And in Bynum, the Lakers have the one trade chip that all of the other contenders lack. Now is the time to use him.