Lakers Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard Wouldn't Dramatically Improve Los Angeles

With the Brooklyn Nets reportedly dropping out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes (h/t Sam Amick, Sports Illustrated), the Los Angeles Lakers now appear to be the top candidates to land the superstar center.

However, any fans out in Lakerland with the mindset that Howard would be a saving grace should temper their expectations.

Howard is definitely the best center on the planet—I'm not here to argue that. But as good as he is, it's not like he's head and shoulders above Andrew Bynum. Bynum, for all his faults, has to be one of the most under-appreciated players in the league.

He's a solid defender, a productive rebounder and his offensive skill set is more diverse than Howard's. He's a much better free-throw shooter than Howard, so you can go to him in crunch time. His "clutch" field-goal percentage (82.1) was by far the best in the NBA last season.

Bynum has also caught up to Howard in just about every other statistical category. Just check out their 2012 numbers:

Howard: 54 GP, 38.3 MPG, 20.6 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 2.1 BPG, 57.3 FG%, 49.1 FT%, 24.29 PER

Bynum: 60 GP, 35.2 MPG, 18.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 55.8 FG%, 69.2 FT%, 23.00 PER

Of course, Howard is the superior defender, and his impact on that side of the floor isn't easily captured by box-score statistics. Also, the Lakers would like an athletic pick-and-roll big man to pair with Steve Nash, and Howard fits that description better than Bynum.

However, after Howard's recent back surgery, there's no guarantee that he's going to be the same type of athlete when he returns to the court. His defensive range could be limited, and if he doesn't have the same explosiveness, he won't be of much value on the offensive end.

For now, Howard is still the best center in the world. He's just not a significant upgrade over Andrew Bynum, and his arrival in L.A. wouldn't automatically make the Lakers title favorites.