NBA Trade Speculation: Who Wins If Dwight Howard, Chris Paul Go To Los Angeles?

The NBA ending the lockout is easily the greatest thing to happen to NBA writers in the past four months. Instead of dissecting the merits of each side's argument, the writers now get to focus on what's really important—trade speculation.

Right now, trade speculation is probably the hottest in Los Angeles, as the Lakers seem like the likely destination for Dwight Howard and now the Clippers seem like a great option for Chris Paul.

So, what happens if these two Los Angeles teams get what they want and Chris Paul ends up on the Clippers and Dwight Howard the Lakers?

Which team has the brighter future and, more importantly, which team becomes the new fleeting love of Los Angeles?

First, let's take a look at what it's going to take to get each player to their respective new teams.

Chris Paul to the Clippers

Now, there is a distinct possibility that the Clippers could hold off from trading for Chris Paul and using their cap space in 2012 to sign him as a free agent straight-up. They would only be able to offer him a four-year deal in that case, which would of course be a maximum deal falling somewhere in the range of $17 million in his first year (the only year that really matters in terms of salary cap implications).

They only have $24 million worth of players under contract for the 2012-13 season, but they would add DeAndre Jordan (the only player they need to re-sign this season), which would still only put them around $8-10 million more, so they would still have plenty of space to add Paul.

However, with the Clippers' history, and the likelihood that another team would pick up Paul in an extend-and-trade, screwing them out of a dynasty, a trade is their most likely option.

It seems as if some combination of DeAndre Jordan (with an extension) and Eric Gordon, plus two first-round picks (Minnesota's and their own for this year's draft) would be plenty to get Paul in LA.

Dwight to Los Angeles

The acquisition of Dwight Howard should be relatively easy for the Lakers. All they'll need to do is give up Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, plus a draft pick or two and take back Hedo Turkoglu in return, along with Howard.

This would give Orlando two proven big men, two picks and much less payroll, as they would be free to use their amnesty on Gilbert Arenas and his $19 million contract, while LA could hang onto Hedo for a few months before they decide to use their amnesty on him or not.

Comparing the Rosters

These trades would obviously make both teams better, as they'd gives them each a young superstar, but who would be the better team?

The Clippers would have a starting lineup that would feature Paul at the point, Mo Williams possibly moving to the shooting guard spot (he's a serviceable shooter and much better as a third or fourth option than a second), Ryan Gomes as small forward and Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman in the frontcourt.

The Clippers bench would be admittedly weak, with just Randy Foye and Al-Farouq Aminu coming off the bench, but they also have plenty of room to add free agents before the season starts, so they could add someone like Caron Butler or Arron Afflalo with no impact on their ability to get Paul.

Los Angeles would boast Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Lamar Odom and Dwight Howard, still a formidable lineup even without Gasol and Bynum.

The Lakers could still add a player like Ramon Sessions via trade, as a draft pick and then a lesser player like Matt Barnes to make it work. Then they still have their tax-payer mid-level exception to use, which would give them a player in the $3.5 million range, plus they would probably give Turkoglu a shot at doing something for the team off the bench.

When looking at these two teams, it seems like the Lakers would still have the advantage, but only initially. They would be title contenders just because of the fact that they have two of the 10 best players in the league, along with Odom and World Peace.

However, as the years go along, the Clippers would have the distinct advantage, as they are not paying huge taxes like the Lakers and have much younger players. Plus, there's the combination of Paul and Griffin, which would be the most exciting player combination in the league.

Probably the most valuable thing about trading for Paul for the Clippers is the fact that it would more than likely make Griffin a Clipper for life, and as long as the Clipper Curse doesn't get to him, they'll be a great team for years to come.

The Most Important Question

Now, everything about basketball is all well and good, but when we're talking Los Angeles, there's one question that rises above them all: Whose bandwagon fills up quicker?

All the basketball hipsters will be complaining when the seats in the Staples Center (on Clippers nights) start to fill up with celebrities. Of course, the Lakers will always be the classic cool team to like, so don't expect it to be a runaway.

However, at the end of the day, while he won't be swayed, I wouldn't be surprised to see old Jack Nicholson showing up at a Clippers game from time to time.