NBA Trade Rumors: Ideal Scenarios for Dwight Howard, Chris Paul & Deron Williams
With a tentative deal in place to end the 149-day NBA Lockout, the focus has now shifted to the free agent class of 2012. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul and New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams' contracts all expire at season's end.
No trade or contract negotiations took place during the lockout, so the Magic, Hornets and Nets won't have much time when it comes to making a decision. There are plenty of decisions to be made, however, with regards to working out a trade or taking the risk of possibly losing a star player for nothing.
While nothing is concrete with regards to which teams might be interested in Howard, Paul or Williams, it is pretty obvious which teams would benefit from their services and which teams would have the means to acquire them.
It's possible that none of the triumvirate of elite future free agents know precisely what they want to do at this point, but some situations appear to be tailor made for them. Here are the ideal scenarios for Howard, Paul and Williams moving forward.
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard has made the Orlando Magic into perennial contenders thanks to his dominant play on both ends of the floor, but that may not last much longer. Indications are that Howard may be looking to move on, and if that is the case, then there is really nothing the Magic can offer him in order to make him stay.
From Howard's perspective, the Los Angeles Lakers would probably offer the most ideal situation. Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops handicapped the odds of teams landing Howard, and he gave the Lakers the best chance at 10-1. This stems from the fact that they can offer center Andrew Bynum as well as draft picks in return.
The trade would make sense from Orlando's perspective as Bynum is young and may already be the second-best center in the league behind Howard. For Howard, the trade would give him an incredible supporting cast with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and it would allow him to become an iconic player in the purple and gold whereas he didn't have that opportunity in Orlando.
Chris Paul
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is without a doubt one of the preeminent players at his position, but with the Hornets unable to get him any help, it seems likely that he would walk when he becomes a free agent. With that in mind, the Hornets may be best served trading Paul away and getting some value for him.
While Isaiah Thomas no longer holds a job in the New York Knicks' organization due to his head coaching job at Florida International, he still has close ties to the Knicks. John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Thomas has a good relationship with Knicks owner James Dolan, and that he may be pushing Paul toward New York.
Paul apparently reveres Thomas and may be influenced to sign with the Knicks. The Hornets may be best off accelerating the process and trading him to New York, though. They would likely be able to land Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields and a couple first-round draft picks while remaining competitive. For Paul, though, a trio of himself, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire would be ideal.
Deron Williams
For as good as New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is, he may be the forgotten man in the group of himself, Howard and Paul. It is quite clear that Paul will be the more sought after point guard between the two, so it will be interesting to see what Williams will do.
A panel of ESPN NBA experts believe that Williams will stay with the team for the duration of the season, as the Nets invested a lot in trading for him last year. The Nets may not look like anything special right now, but owner Mikhail Prokhorov is obviously committed to winning and will do whatever it takes to re-sign Williams and get him a running mate.
Prokhorov figures to be in the running for Howard and any other big free agents on the market as the Nets have plenty of cap space. When you couple a desire to win with a pending move to Brooklyn, remaining with the Nets should be a fairly attractive option for Williams. It is clear that the Nets already want him and are willing to pay for him, so he might as well stay.
