NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to LA Clippers Is a Possibility

As all the rumors swirl around concerning Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, one thing becomes increasingly clear: Dwight Howard and Chris Paul could realistically both end up being Los Angeles Clippers. 

Having said that, let me make several things perfectly clear. First, I am fully aware that the Clippers have both arguably the worst owner professional sports and they have the worst history of any franchise in the NBA.

In fact when I ranked the franchises all-time, I ranked the Clippers dead last. 

Make no mistake about it, I am fully aware of how surprising it would be to suggest that the Clippers are sitting on the precipice of a dynasty.

Understand two things. Players don't play for a franchise's history, they play for its future. Neither do they play for an owner, they play for one another and for their coach.

And oh yeah, they do play for the money.  

The Clippers have several reasons to be the single most important thing to attract both Paul and Howard—cap space. They could give both of them max contracts. None of this talk about $13.5 million while Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony play for $20 million there. 

The Clippers could offer them something else: Blake Griffin, and perhaps Eric Gordon. The Clippers have a tremendous amount of young talent that is just starting to find its way, though some of that talent is undoubtedly going to need to be involved in trades. 

One other thing they offer is one another. Pairing the two up together is another incentive. A three-team trade that has Mo Williams and Chris Kaman going to the Hornets; Emeka Okafor, DeAndre Jordan and Ryan Gomes going to the Magic and both Paul and Howard coming to the Clippers.

In addition, the Magic could receive the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round pick and the Clippers 2013 pick and the Hornets could receive the Clippers 2012 pick and pretty much any other player on the Clippers roster other than Blake Griffin. 

The Clippers would try and protect Eric Gordon, but could give him up if necessary. Certainly that's a tweakable trade, but the bottom line is that both the Magic and the Hornets would get plenty in return, getting three starting-caliber players and a first-round pick. 

Probably no team is going to be able to offer both teams more and still have enough left to be an instant contender and offer both players max contracts.

The only thing they have going against them is that they are the Clippers. 

But even there the sales pitch could be that if the two team up they could do something historic by taking away the limelight from from Lakers in LA and become the dominant team in Hollywood.

I know it sounds crazy, but it could happen.