Dwight Howard: Cavaliers Don't Make Sense as a Facilitator in Potential Trade

The Dwight Howard saga continues to roll on. Now, the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be moving past the Houston Rockets as the primary facilitator in a trade that would send D12 across the country to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, the Orlando Magic would trade Howard to the Lakers, Andrew Bynum would go to the Cavaliers and the Magic would receive Anderson Varejao and a number of draft picks. 

While I still maintain that a Bynum-for-Howard swap would make sense for both sides, this trade just doesn't work. Cleveland doesn't makes sense as a facilitator in these talks. 

From the Cavaliers' perspective, this is a wonderful deal as they ship off Varejao—no offense meant to one of the more underrated players in the NBA—and land the league's second-best center in Bynum. 

The move would give the Cavaliers a young and deadly frontcourt, with Bynum and either Tyler Zeller or Tristan Thompson lining up in the starting five. 

However, why exactly would the Magic do this? 

Rob Hennigan is looking for future draft picks and young players. 

First of all, the draft picks that the Magic would be receiving wouldn't hold as much value if they were coming from either the Lakers or the Cavs. The Lakers always pick near the end of the first round (when they have a pick at all), and the Cavs would contend for the playoffs as long as Bynum and Kyrie Irving were in town. 

Then there's Varejao. For all that he brings to the table, he just doesn't fit the mold of players that the Magic are seeking. 

At 29 years old, what you see is what you get. He's an energy player with a well-rounded game and good rebounding skills, but he also has a low ceiling. This far into his career, Varejao isn't suddenly going to transform into a franchise player.

Moreover, he happens to play the same position as one of the Magic's best remaining players once Dwight is dealt. Glen Davis played quite well in Howard's absence and would force Varejao, a natural power forward, into the center role with the Magic. 

Orlando can do better than this. It has stayed patient thus far and must continue to do so.