Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Analysis on Where the Star Center May Land
The Dwight Howard trade rumors have dominated the NBA, and they don't appear poised to cease at any point in the near future.
Howard has repeatedly gone on the record stressing his ultimate desire to win at the highest level as the determinant as to whether or not he'll sign an extension, and the Magic have to significantly upgrade the roster in order to make that happen.
Orlando's roster isn't exactly looking well-rounded at this point, and there's no feasible way to project the Magic finishing ahead of Boston, Miami and Chicago in the regular season or the playoffs if General Manager Otis Smith doesn't get creative.
Smith is directly between a rock and a hard place in regards to a decision on Howard, He can either risk Howard walking away with nothing in return after the season when he's an unrestricted free agent, or he could potentially isolate a huge majority of the fan base by trading away the franchise player.
Not only can Howard shift the balance of power between the two teams involved in a deal, but he can effectively alter the parity of the league as the most dominant player in the game today.
It's going to take a boatload in return in order to coax Howard out of Orlando, and most fans don't realize just how much the Magic are going to be in search of should the team pursue a deal.
Portland Trail Blazers
1 of 5Portland Receives: Dwight Howard
Orlando Receives: Nicolas Batum, Wes Matthews, Marcus Camby, two future first-round picks
Portland Point of View:
The Blazers are looking for someone that can form a long-term duo beneath the bucket with LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden has shown no indication of being the answer.
Although Portland has been hesitant to part with Batum in past offers, a potential opportunity to land Howard should leave no player listed as untouchable on the roster.
The team is stuck with Brandon Roy's behemoth contract, and Matthews represents a valuable trading chip at the negotiating table because of his breakout play as a starter.
Orlando Point of View:
The Magic are going to be looking to acquire talent that the club can deplore for the long haul, and both Batum and Matthews fit that description with precision.
While Camby is nothing more than a short-term solution, his inclusion in the deal is more about the financial leverage Orlando would receive in executing this deal than what he would provide to the team.
With two first-round picks as well coming over from the Blazers, the Magic could use those selections in a separate deal in order to further re-stock the talent pool and make the turn around effort a short one for the team.
Utah Jazz
2 of 5Utah Receives: Dwight Howard
Orlando Receives: Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors, future first-round pick, future second-round pick
Utah Point of View:
Utah isn't considered a front-runner or even thought to be in the Howard sweepstakes at this moment in time, but the team certainly has the assets to pull of a deal.
Upon drafting Enes Kanter third overall, the Jazz now have a plethora of big men on the roster: Jefferson, Favors, Kanter, Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap.
After drafting Gordon Hayward in 2010 and Alec Burks in 2011, the club is clearly making a commitment to improving on the perimeter. The arrival of Howard would force the opposition to sag off the perimeter and drift more toward the interior to contend with the big man beneath the basket.
Orlando Point of View:
Trading Howard would really provide a nearly insurmountable blow to the Magic's dominance down low, but the return in this particular scenario could help cushion that considerably.
Jefferson is still a promising young center with plenty of potential at just 26 years old, and he could really bolster the Orlando front line for several seasons.
Favors, who has shown flashes of enormous potential, is still incredibly raw at 20 years old, and the former third overall pick from 2010 is on a mission to prove that he belongs.
Indiana Pacers
3 of 5Indiana Receives: Dwight Howard
Orlando Receives: Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, two future first-round picks
Indiana Point of View:
The Pacers are looking to build something promising in Indiana, and the team showed surprising grit throughout the season in the desire to compete.
However, Granger hasn't evolved into his full potential since re-signing with the team a few years ago, and the Pacers have a sizable chunk of change invested in the versatile forward.
It's a major price to pay, but the Pacers can give Howard the keys to the offense and build a youthful corps of talent around him led by Darren Collison, George Hill and Paul George.
Orlando Point of View:
This scenario is one that the Magic would have to consider long and hard, as the club would receive two players that could turn out to be franchise cornerstones in the deal.
Additionally, Orlando would net two first-round selections that should prove to be valuable assets in the future regardless of whether the club holds onto the picks or includes them in a later deal.
The Magic are going to be looking to regain success with any potential Howard trade as soon as possible, and landing both Granger and Hibbert would certainly help to soften a devastating blow.
Chicago Bulls
4 of 5Chicago Receives: Dwight Howard, Ryan Anderson, Daniel Orton
Orlando Receives: Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, future first-round pick, future second-round pick
Chicago Point of View:
The Bulls were reluctant to include Joakim Noah in any scenario for Carmelo Anthony last season, but Dwight Howard is a very different player from the scoring forward.
While Chicago has also expressed no desire to trade Taj Gibson, the team also hasn't had the opportunity to bring in any player of Howard's caliber to this point, and one would have to think that the Bulls would be willing to include anyone on the roster outside of Rose to facilitate a deal.
Despite losing key contributors in this particular scenario, Chicago would re-load its front court depth with Ryan Anderson playing behind Boozer and Omer Asik to back up Howard, while Orton could develop and potentially contribute in the future.
Orlando Point of View:
With Noah and Deng both signed to reasonable contracts moving forward, the Magic can insert both players immediately into the starting lineup and make them the focal points of the team.
Additionally, the team would receive a very promising power forward prospect in Taj Gibson, and he would provide an instant upgrade over Brandon Bass in the starting lineup.
This would be an intriguing way for the Magic to attempt to rebuild while still possessing enough financial flexibility to make a free-agent splash down the line.
Los Angeles Lakers
5 of 5Los Angeles Receives: Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu
Orlando Receives: Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, two future first-round picks
Los Angeles Point of View:
The Lakers have been rumored to be after Howard since the trade rumors got started, but that doesn't make this team a slam dunk to land the reigning three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Any offer would be centered around Bynum, and the Lakers are constantly at the forefront of discussions because the club could present an opportunity for Howard to win a championship in the very near future.
His arrival in Los Angeles would help to usher in a new era of basketball as Kobe Bryant continues to age, and the Lakers would have the most dominant big three in the game with Bryant, Gasol and Howard.
Orlando Point of View:
Despite losing Howard, the Mag win in a big way by being able to unload the hefty contract of Hedo Turkoglu while receiving a major piece to the puzzle going forward.
While the concern surrounding Bynum's knees are very real, the upside as to what he can provide the Magic for the long haul is absolutely off the charts. He has the chance to develop into a dominant big man in a league that's seriously lacking them.
Odom has a team-controlled option for the 2012-13 season that is not fully guaranteed, so the Magic could choose to open up some financial flexibility if they choose to buy him out.
Artest would provide a defensive element to the Orlando approach that has been missing outside of Howard in the key, but the real prize of this deal is the big man—Andrew Bynum.
