Dwight Howard or Chris Paul: Who Do Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant Need Most?

It's certainly easier said than done.

Pulling off any kind of trade that involves securing Dwight Howard or Chris Paul is not light work.

But the Lakers are a proud franchise, California is the golden state and Kobe Bryant is a five-time champion teammate-in-waiting.

It's possible.

But not without a heavy price tag.

If the Lakers were to secure Howard, they'd likely have to show Andrew Bynum the door. In order to get Paul, either Gasol or again Bynum would be on the chopping board.

Let's, for a minute, assume the Lakers are able to do either deal.

Big Threes are all the hype in the NBA right now. Which combination would serve the Lakers best? Bryant, Howard and Gasol? Or Bryant, Paul and Gasol/Bynum?

Either way, Kobe gets better looks.

Bryant is already a phenomenal shooter, even in the face of solid defense. Dwight Howard attracts a double-team to a larger extent than Andrew Bynum. Howard has never had any problems seeing over the defense and finding the Magic's perimeter shooters. The problem lies in the fact that the Magic's outside threats were so streaky, Orlando could never play with any great consistency.

The Lakers don't have a lot of options when it comes to knock-down shooters. If they manage to secure Howard, perimeter threats need to be on the summer shopping list. Trading Ron Artest should open enough cap space to find a long-range shooter to come off the bench.

This approach also gives Matt Barnes more minutes, a guy who was underused during the season. Barnes is also dirt-cheap defense, and was an underrated scorer back in Phoenix.

If Chris Paul comes to the party, the defense is forced to collapse on the point guard in the lane. Again, more open looks for shooters. If no one rotates to help, Paul only has to beat his man to the cup.

The addition of Chris Paul also significantly reduces the backcourt burden on Kobe Bryant. I suspect there would be less isolation offense in clutch moments.

Whether Howard and Gasol could co-exist in the front-court is another issue. Both like to catch the ball low and have space to beat their man. Howard would obviously play more minutes than Andrew Bynum, which in itself brings up another concern. Would Odom's role in the rotation be significantly reduced?

Weighing it all up, I believe the best move for the Lakers is to concentrate on adding Chris Paul, not Dwight Howard, to the mix.

With Gasol or Bynum standing in the frontcourt with Lamar Odom, the Lakers are still a long team.

Remember, Kobe Bryant is a big two-guard as well.

The only obvious problem is the health issues that Paul, Bryant and Bynum have faced in recent times.

Given their history, it's possible all could miss games simultaneously.

That spells disaster for a franchise who's role players are already long in the tooth.

Without a doubt, adding either Chris Paul or Dwight Howard to the mix would make the Lakers a better team. Pau Gasol isn't ready to take over from Kobe as the franchise player.

In terms of fit, the Bryant, Paul  Bynum/Gasol trio seems to make the most sense.

But if Gasol and Howard could co-exist, they'd be the most dominant front line since Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

For me, it's one too many "ifs".

What do you think? Would the Lakers be best served trading for Dwight Howard or Chris Paul?