NBA Trade Talk: Five Potential Deals for Dwight Howard

As the NBA offseason approaches (barring a lockout), trade rumors begin to sprout up everywhere.

However, two main players teams are looking to acquire are Orlando Magic superstar center Dwight Howard and New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul.

Howard has been rumored to be wanting a trade although he hasn't officially asked for one and has said he wants to stay if Orlando can build a contending team around him.  

Many teams will likely come knocking on the door for him and these are five potential deals teams can use to land him.

Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Keith Bogans and a First-Rounder for Howard

The Bulls have been rumored as being one of the top contenders to land Howard should the Magic decide to trade him.  A potential deal that could benefit both teams would be sending Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and a first-round pick for Dwight Howard.  

Boozer has not lived up to his large offseason contract thus far, and giving him and the energetic Noah up in exchange for the three-time defensive player of the year should not be a problem for them.  

It would give MVP Derrick Rose a legitimate second scoring option, the most dominant player in the paint, and would allow forward Taj Gibson to slide into the starting lineup where he has played very well.

The Bulls would also have an excellent backup center in Omer Asik who can come in and give Howard some rest, something he did't have last season.

This trade would also benefit the Magic as they would still have a formidable front line with Noah, Boozer and Brandon Bass as Boozer's backup.  

Noah's energy and hustle helps him on defense and he is a very aggressive rebounder, while Boozer can be a terrific post-scorer and can knock down the mid-range jump shot.  Bogans can shoot the three and play solid defense and give this team 10-20 solid minutes of play.

Amare Stoudemire, C. Billups, and Two 1st-Rounders for Howard and Gilbert Arenas

The Knicks have been rumored to be trying to bring in Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to form their own version of the "Big 3" with Carmelo Anthony.  Amare Stoudemire might be one of the best players the Magic could get should they trade Howard.  

In this trade, the Knicks would send Amare Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, and a first-round pick in exchange for Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas.  The Magic might also want a defensive player like Ronny Turiaf to be a shot blocker off the bench.

Pairing Howard with Anthony would be a lethal combination of perimeter and low-post scoring.  Gilbert Arenas, though many have forgotten, was the leading scorer on the Wizards early in the season before he was traded to the Magic.

He was averaging 17 ppg but Stan Van Gundy had him on a short leash and Arenas performs better when he is allowed to improvise and create on the spot.  The Knicks would allow him to do just that.  

Amare Stoudemire is one of the best power forwards in the league. He is an explosive scorer with a variety of moves in the paint, and he can knock down the mid-range jumper.  He would soften the loss of Howard in the paint and give the Magic a solid foundation for the future.

Billups' contract expires after this season but he is still a serviceable point guard and he can play shooting guard if the Magic choose to go small.  

He is also an excellent three-point shooter and he is valuable in the clutch.  The two first-rounders would help sweeten the deal for the Magic.

Emeka Okafor, David West, Marco Belinelli and a First-Rounder for Howard

Chris Paul has been rumored to be wanting out of New Orleans.  What better way to convince him to stay then acquiring the best center in the game?  

This deal would give the Hornets two superstars to build their team around and this team could very well be one of the top teams in the West in a year or two should this deal go down.  Imagine Paul throwing lobs to Howard every game.  This trade would instantly make the Hornets a contender in the West.

Should the Magic execute this trade, they would still have one of the better front lines as the duo of Okafor and West is among the better forward-center combos the league has to offer.  Marco Belinelli provides three-point shooting and some occasional driving and scoring.

The Magic wouldn't have to go through a full-scale rebuilding phase and would likely continue to contend for a top five or six playoff spot in the East, even without Howard.

Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Two First-Round Picks for Howard and Turkoglu

The Lakers have been speculated as the preferred destination for Howard, which may or may not be true, but they would have to give up quite a bit to get him because they don't have the money to sign him as a free agent.  

This trade has the Lakers sending Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and a first- and second-round pick in exchange for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu.  The Magic, if forced to deal with the Lakers, will probably force the Lakers to take on the contract of either Gilbert Arenas and Turkoglu.  I think Hedo is the one they should part with first because Arenas can still contribute at a high level.  

Howard would provide the Lakers with one of the best front lines in the NBA with Pau Gasol starting at power forward and Howard at center.  They would lose some of their depth and versatility with Lamar Odom, but most think it would be well worth it to have Howard be a Laker.

The Magic would receive the only other true center in the game in Andrew Bynum, and despite his injury history, he is only 23 and can still develop into a dominant force.  Lamar could come in and start or play behind Brandon Bass in the sixth-man role.  

Should the Magic keep Arenas, the Magic could play a lineup of Odom at the point with Arenas playing shooting guard.  This trade would keep the Magic afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race and would give them a solid piece to build around in Bynum.

LeBron James for Howard

LeBron James is part of the infamous "Big 3" in Miami, but they failed to win their first championship together as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

LeBron seemed to pull a disappearing act during the critical parts of the Finals and has received heavy criticism for not being a closer in important games.  The Heat's two greatest weaknesses were lack of consistency at the point guard and center positions.

Mario Chalmers emerged as a legitimate option as the Heat's future point guard but Joel Anthony, though a hard worker and a fan favorite, is undersized and is better suited as a backup.  Many think Pat Riley should be bold and offer LeBron James for Dwight Howard straight up.  

Howard would instantly solve the Heat's problem with the lack of a post scorer and enable Bosh to do what he does best: slash into the paint and spot up for the open jump shot.

It would also enable Dwyane Wade to have the ball in his hands more, therefore making him much more effective than having to share the ball with another perimeter player like LeBron.

In LeBron James, the Magic get the most physically talented player in the league right now.  What better way to start your rebuilding project then getting the best player in the game?

LeBron would give the Magic a franchise player to build around and they could easily be contending in a year or two after they acquired the right pieces to complement LeBron's skills.  Overall, this is a win-win deal for both teams.

These are five deals for Dwight Howard that I think could legitimately happen.  What do you think?