NBA Rumors: How Proposed Dwight Howard Trade Would Affect Cavs

The big name that has dominated NBA trade rumors this summer has been Magic center Dwight Howard.

As the rumors of the big man headed to Brooklyn are heating up, the team that surprisingly has the motors running in the deal is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When the speculation that Howard was to become a Net seemed at a standstill, the Cavs came out of nowhere to provide a third wheel to the deal and facilitate advancement in discussions.

While Brooklyn will come out with the biggest prize of this blockbuster and the Magic are going to stockpile first-round picks, what’s in it for Cleveland?

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while Cleveland will give up Luke Walton, they’ll receive Orlando’s Quentin Richardson, Brooklyn’s Sundiata Gaines, Kris Humphries, a first-round pick and $3 million from the Nets.

The only catch is that the underrated Humphries wants a multi-year deal and the current trade proposes a one-year guaranteed contract via sign-and-trade.

However, if Humphries is only with the Cavs for a season, it will be an upgrade from last season.

Let’s be honest, the Cavs were atrocious in 2011 and any notable additions to the team will bolster their inexperienced roster. Last season Cleveland was 25^th in points per game, 23^rd in assists per game, and 26^th in points allowed.

While Gaines won’t do much for the Cavs, journeyman Quentin Richardson could prove to be a valuable veteran coming off the bench. Even though he’s nowhere close to the player he was with the Clippers in 2003-04 (17.2 PPG on the season), the 32-year-old can still provide a spark for Cleveland.

If he can get back to the way he played for the Knicks from 2005-09 when he averaged a little over ten points per game, Richardson will be a low-risk steal for the Cavs.

While a future first-round pick and cash is a great add-on, Cleveland’s biggest gain would arguably be Kris Humphries.

One of the most underrated players in the league, Humphries is a consistent double-double machine, averaging 13.8 PPG and 11.0 rebounds per game in 2011-12 for the Nets last year in New Jersey.

If Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is able to get Humphries inked to a longer deal with the team, that would be great for them in the long run.

However, even if they only have the University of Minnesota product for a season, their team will be much better off than they were the past couple of years.

After adding Tyler Zeller in the draft along with Tristan Thompson coming back for his sophomore campaign, the Cavs were heading into 2012 with a talented, but extremely young and inexperienced frontcourt.

Things could change if the maturity of Humphries is added to the mix.

Sure he hasn’t really been noticed until the past few years, but Humphries does have eight years of NBA experience under his belt. With this, he would provide a veteran presence for the younger players and ease some of the pressure on their shoulders, allowing them develop at more reasonable pace.

Bottom line, the unsung winner of this deal, if things go as planned, would be the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not only do they gain some serious cash and a future first-round pick, but also the club adds veteran help to a fresh and impressionable team–something that could put them in the hunt for a playoff spot in 2012.