Dwight Howard: Andrew Bynum Extension Makes D-12 Deal to LA More Likely

The Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bynum are engaging in talks to keep the center in Los Angeles long-term.

Bynum would probably receive a three-year, $60 million extension, considering that he was the second-best center in the league.

Heck, Roy Hibbert and Brook Lopez received huge contracts. Why can't Bynum get one?

While many think that this might be a ploy by the Lakers to basically tell the Orlando Magic that time is running out for a potential Dwight Howard deal, I think it is actually the opposite.

With Bynum under contract for three more years, this actually makes a potential deal that sends Howard to Los Angeles more plausible.

Instead of having to worry whether or not Bynum wants to re-sign in Orlando, the Magic know that they have him for at least three more years.

This package is definitely the best one that they will ever get for D-12.

If Howard dons the purple and gold, the Lakers would be the co-favorite, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, to come out of the Western Conference.

The deal gives the Lakers undoubtedly the best starting five in the league, with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol already on board.

With the deal benefiting both teams, the big picture question is whether Howard would re-sign long-term.

This is really where the Dwight Howard trade rumors come to a screeching halt. Even though I think the Lakers should even consider "renting" Howard for a year, Los Angeles management does not seem inclined to do so.

Besides, he not only stands to make far more money by re-signing with his 2012 team (potentially the Lakers), but he also stays in one of the best situations in basketball.

Would he turn down Los Angeles for Dallas and Atlanta? Possibly.

The Andrew Bynum extension talks do not signal that a potential Howard trade is imminent, but rather that the Lakers are in it to win it.