NBA Rumors: Report Says Nets Emerging as Favorites for Magic's Dwight Howard

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Brooklyn Nets have emerged as the favorites to land Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Talks between the Lakers and Magic have hit an impasse with Andrew Bynum unwilling to sign a long-term extension to stay in Orlando.

The Nets have been working throughout the weekend to re-sign Brook Lopez to a a four-year deal. With a deal in place, the Nets are ready to either keep Lopez on the roster or move him to Orlando as the centerpiece of the package to get Howard.

A deal between the Nets and Magic for Howard would give the Nets a "Big Three" of their own to match the new way of the land in the NBA. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson would complete the trio and immediately make the Nets a formidable contender in the East.

The Lakers would be missing out a deal that would take them from being one of the better teams in the Western Conference to arguably the best team on paper. Bynum has already had prior issues with the organization and his preventing a deal which would land Howard can't help that relationship.

With Bynum set to become a free agent at the end of the season, he could be traded by the Lakers at some point prior to the trade deadline. Bynum already has a shortlist of teams he's interested in joining; also not a good sign for the Lakers organization.

With Orlando seemingly unwilling to deal for Bynum without an agreed extension, it seems that any trade between the Lakers and Magic is up to Bynum.

Houston has also been mentioned as a team in the talks for Howard, but their lack of a centerpiece has made them long shots to land the dominant center. Bynum is a clear franchise guy that could be built around. Lopez is close to that, but doesn't possess nearly as much potential as Bynum. 

If the Magic are truly looking to capture a centerpiece for their franchise, they should deal with the Lakers even without Bynum signing an extension (more on that here). Landing Lopez isn't in the same level as landing Bynum, but even if the team doesn't feel like Bynum is worth the risk, it's still better than what the Rockets have to offer. 

Heated negotiations between the Nets and Magic are a good sign that this Howard saga will soon come to an end one way or another. Whether that means Howard dons the new black and white Nets jersey in Brooklyn is still unseen up to this point.