NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Chatter on Dwight Howard, Robin Lopez, Lakers and More

Dwight Howard has absolutely dominated the headlines over the past two offseasons. Everyone wants to know why he’s unhappy, who is interested in trading for him and all of the latest rumors surrounding the petulant big man.

It doesn’t seem like that will be changing anytime soon, as more and more sources continue to leak out DH12’s future plans—often contradicting information that was released less than a few weeks ago.

Thursday’s big NBA rumor once again involves the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and his desire to be traded or move away from Orlando next summer. Let’s take a look.

DH12’s Future

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, sources close to the situation said that Magic GM Rob Hennigan and Howard met on Wednesday, with the center wanting absolutely no part of Orlando beyond the summer of 2013.

Howard is still holding out hope that the Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Lakers swing a deal, but will reportedly sign with the Dallas Mavericks should neither team make an acceptable offer.

Los Angeles Still in Contention

Wojnarowski reported that during the two-hour Hennigan-Howard meeting in Los Angeles, the sulking big man could not figure out why the team brass did not accept earlier trade offers from the Nets and Lakers, which could have netted the team a lot of future value and current superstars like Joe Johnson or Steve Nash.

Fortunately for all parties involved, the framework of a three-team mega-trade that would involve picks and a player going to Orlando, Andrew Bynum going to Houston or Cleveland, and Howard going to L.A. is still in place.

Eventually, Hennigan will realize he is under the gun to make a DH12 trade happen and will pull the trigger.

Robin Lopez to New Orleans Hornets Trade in Jeopardy

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic has found that the agreed-upon trade between the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Hornets is not going smoothly.

As you may have heard, the Suns are planning to ship Hakim Warrick and Robin Lopez to New Orleans, the Timberwolves want to send Wesley Johnson and a lottery-protected first-rounder to Phoenix, and the Hornets wish to deal Brad Miller’s contract (to be bought out), Jerome Dyson and two second-rounders to Minny.

However, there are “significant issues” blocking the trade right now. The most pressing is that the deal needs to get league approval to make sure it fits within their parameters.

Should the league office reject it—and that has happened before (see the Chris Paul saga last year)—Warrick and Lopez would remain with the Suns, and it’s possible that the T-Wolves wouldn’t be able to complete their signing of free-agent forward Andre Kirilenko.