Lakers Trade Rumors: Andrew Bynum's Uncertain Future Hurts Dwight Howard Deal

The Orlando Magic have ramped up their efforts to appease Dwight Howard and deal the petulant big man this offseason.

However, the organization must not throw caution to the wind and mortgage their future by swapping DH12 for Andrew Bynum and his one-year contract.

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst:

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Orlando likes Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, but one source said Bynum has refused to assure the Magic that he will re-sign with them beyond next season. Bynum can become a free agent in the summer of 2013, so trading for him without his long-term commitment would put Orlando in the same bind it finds itself in with Howard.

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Even if the Magic were to take on Bynum without a guarantee to re-up his contract, the organization will not get much else in return.

Considering LA just shipped first-round draft picks in 2013 and 2015 to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Steve Nash, there is a limited amount of future value the Magic could get in return from trading Howard for Bynum.

League rules (thanks to former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien) dictate that a franchise cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive years, so Orlando would not be able to accrue 2014 and 2016 first-round selections from the Lakers.

There are certainly going to be some more intriguing packages coming in from other teams across the league that do not involve an oft-injured center that will (as of now) not sign an extension to play in Orlando for the foreseeable future.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports is reporting that new Magic GM Rob Hennigan has a laundry list of goals to hit when pulling the trigger on any DH12 deal. Acquiring another center that may leave in the offseason is not one of them.

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In the ideal scenario for Orlando, the Magic would get multiple first-round and possibly second-round picks, "perhaps a player or two," a source said, and cap relief from moving the onerous contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson.

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The Brooklyn Nets are perhaps the most serious suitors for Howard at this time, but they are struggling to find a way to appease Hennigan’s demands for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Even with the Nets far off from reaching some sort of agreement with the Magic, the Lakers may not even be in the running right now.

Andrew Bynum is going to have to change his tune if the franchise wants to have a horse in the Dwight Howard race.