Dwight Howard to the LA Lakers: Guide to the Potential Move

Dwight Howard winding up in Los Angeles with the Lakers has been a hot-button topic of discussion for quite some time around the NBA.

While the Orlando Magic faithful are hopeful that the team can retain its franchise face, Howard has indicated several times that the chance to win at the highest level will ultimately be the most prominent factor in his decision-making process.

With the big man set for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2012 campaign, Lakers fans are salivating at the possibility of Howard joining the fold.

It's certainly a possibility, as with any club, but L.A. is going to have to find a way to overcome several obstacles if serious about landing a new starting center.

How It Could Happen: Signing

Heading into the 2011-12 season, the Lakers have an astonishing $91.3 million committed, and the club isn't going to have a ton of financial wiggle room to add a substantial piece.

Despite that figure dropping down to $67.6 million after the campaign, that doesn't include team options on the contracts of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, as the two are scheduled to make nearly $25 million if the Lakers choose to retain them. That would bring the previously estimated salary figure once again above $90 million.

Additionally, the team seems likely to exercise the options on the rookie contracts of Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks, and that would bring Los Angeles' financial commitment well north of where it currently stands.

With the collective bargaining agreement set to impose a harsher set of monetary restrictions on all NBA teams, there's absolutely no way that the Lakers could sign Howard as a free agent without completely changing the landscape of the team in an effort to free up some serious cash prior to the conclusion of the upcoming season. Howard will undoubtedly sign a maximum contract no matter where he lands.

How It Could Happen: Trade

As noted in the previous slide, the Lakers face an uphill battle in an effort to add another high-salaried player into the mix, so it's fairly likely that a trade is the easiest way to expedite any major move.

Kobe Bryant is owed more than $83 million over the next three seasons, and with Pau Gasol on the hook for approximately $57 million of his own, the team has a whopping $140 million invested in their two superstars during the specified time span.

Any trade for Howard would have to be centered on Andrew Bynum, but due to his chronic knee injuries, there's no chance that a straight-up swap of the two would work for the Magic.

Even if the Lakers included Lamar Odom in a package for Superman, Orlando would likely insist on Los Angeles absorbing a bloated contract like Hedo Turkoglu's in an effort to ease the burden of losing Howard.

It would have to be a mega-package for the Magic to consider a deal, because trading Howard would likely result in many fans being extraordinarily upset.

However, a deal may be in the best interest of the long-term success of the team, because if Orlando allows Howard to leave without any compensation in return, it's going to be a painfully long rebuilding process.

How Howard Fits in with the Lakers

Howard is unquestionably the most dominant center currently in the league, and he would serve as an instant upgrade for any club in the middle.

For the Lakers, Howard not only represents a chance for the Lakers to prop their current championship window wide open; he would also allow the team to usher in a new era of basketball in Los Angeles for the post-Kobe Bryant era.

New head coach Mike Brown has made it clear that his offense will run through the big men down low, and Howard would certainly be happy with that considering he likes to have the ball in his hands often.

He may not put up the dominant statistics with the Lakers that we've become accustomed to seeing regularly throughout his tenure with the Magic, but the numbers in the box score never tell the entire story.

In addition to being a monster threat on the offensive end, Howard is the three-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year and would strengthen the club's interior defense in a very big way.

Chances of Winning a Championship for Lakers with Howard

That giant smile painted across Howard's face wouldn't be able to be wiped clean if he earned the moniker of "NBA champion," and it's clear that he'd increase Los Angeles' championship chances.

This isn't a knock on Andrew Bynum, who has flashed incredible potential on several occasions thus far in his youthful career, but Howard is so physically dominant that his methodology in the middle trumps what Bynum has done.

The chances of the Lakers winning a title while Bryant's current contract is still intact would move up exponentially with an upgrade of Howard over Bynum as the team's starting center, as he is arguably a top-five player in the league right now regardless of position.

Los Angeles would be an instant favorite to finish atop the Western Conference standings, and anything short of a finals berth would be an incredible disappointment with Bryant, Gasol and Howard as the newest "Big Three" in basketball.

Odds of Howard Landing in Los Angeles

Current Odds: 25 percent

Back in December, ESPN's Ric Bucher tweeted his sources indicated that Howard was giving serious consideration to joining the Lakers if the Magic failed to win a title.

Six months later in May, Bucher mentioned in a chat with basketball fans that the Lakers had "dropped" on Howard's list for reasons "beyond" Jim Buss labeling incumbent Andrew Bynum as untouchable.

At that time, Bucher listed Orlando, Dallas and New Jersey as the top three spots with Los Angeles coming in fourth.

There's no chance that the Lakers are able to land Howard without dealing Bynum, so if Buss is serious about the center being untouchable, the chances of the Lakers getting a new starting center will shrink by immense proportions.

However, if the Lakers are willing to deal Bynum in a monster package in an effort to land Howard in Los Angeles, the Magic would be foolish not to (at least) listen.