NBA Trade Rumors: Examining Potential Deals Involved in Dwight Howard's Decision

It's appearing more and more likely that Dwight Howard won't be the only player changing jerseys based on his looming free-agency decision.

There's considerable buzz around the league that Howard's decision is likely to involve a trade (or trades) in some fashion. In a saga that has had plenty of twists and turns, no possibility should be thrown out, as Howard's decision to leave Orlando for Los Angeles wasn't exactly the most expected move in league history.

While Howard is a free agent and can leave Los Angeles without the Lakers getting anything in return, the possibility for a sign-and-trade still exists. 

Here's the latest on what movement might go down depending on Howard's decision.

Lakers Open to Sign-and-Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have maintained throughout the process of Howard's free agency that they are not interested in taking on any long-term contracts in a sign-and-trade should he decide to leave. 

With Howard's decision quickly approaching and the Lakers reportedly sensing that they may be a long shot to retain the center, they may be changing their tune on that stance. As Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN report, the Lakers will have to "look at everything" if the big man picks another team. 

According to the report, the Lakers' original plan was to allow Howard to leave if he chose to do so and continue to stockpile cap space for the 2014 free-agency class. However, it appears that they are now interested in getting assets in return, which makes Howard's fee agency all the more interesting. 

Warriors Looking to Clear Cap Space

Just as the Lakers appear to be warming up to a potential sign-and-trade, the Warriors are finding ways around a forced deal with Los Angeles. 

Because of the Warriors' cap situation, they don't have the ability to sign Howard outright—a scenario that would force them to convince the Lakers to help them land the star center. Given the Warriors' status as a division rival, that's a hard sell. 

According to Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Golden State is getting aggressive about clearing the cap space necessary to sign Howard outright. 

As Stein reports, executives from around the league believe that the Warriors could deal three of their biggest expiring contracts (Andrew Bogut, Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins account for $34 million combined) in order to sign Howard without help from the Lakers. 

Windhorst and Stein speculate that teams might not be willing to absorb any of those hefty contracts without the Warriors also giving up draft picks, Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson, but that is yet to be seen. 

Whether or not Golden State does a sign-and-trade with the Lakers, it appears that they are now serious contenders in the Howard sweepstakes. 

Houston Rockets Eyeing Sign-and-Trade for Josh Smith-Dwight Howard Pairing

While a hypothetical team involving Stephen Curry, Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson may be appealing to D12, the Houston Rockets are reportedly hoping that pairing fellow Atlanta native Josh Smith with the big man might be what brings him to Houston. 

Sam Amick of USA Today reports that the Rockets are high on adding Smith to their roster, whether or not Howard joins the team. If Howard doesn't join, then the Rockets will have enough money to sign the forward outright, but if he does, they'll have to resort to a sign-and-trade with Atlanta. 

Or, as Stein of ESPN tweets, the Rockets could dangle Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik as trade bait to the Lakers in order to clear up the cap space for Howard and Smith.

With Howard's reputation for unpredictability and plenty of intriguing trade scenarios, this is a story that is sure to have a major impact on the NBA landscape next season and beyond.