Lakers Rumors: Dwight Howard Trade a Must for Los Angeles' Title Hopes

While Kobe Bryant is getting older, he still has a few good seasons remaining. But what became abundantly clear in their sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks last year is that he can't do it alone. 

Maybe it won't be to the Mavericks. But a team that looked too old one year isn't going to win a championship the next without making some serious changes.

One of those possible changes is Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Ken Berger of CBSSports detailed mutual interest between the two parties.

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It's no surprise to anyone that the Lakers will be one of the primary suitors in a possible trade for Howard, and a person with knowledge of the team's strategy told CBSSports.com that executive Jim Buss finally has dropped his opposition to trading center Andrew Bynum "for the right deal." That's code for "a deal for Dwight Howard," and it's clear from those familiar with Howard's thinking that he'd like to join the Lakers.

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Now, imagine Howard in the post and Bryant on the perimeter. All of a sudden, the team looks a lot better.

Technically, the team wouldn't be getting younger. After all, Bynum is two years younger than Howard. But those two years are more than made up for by the fact that Howard's simply a better player.

He's a big enough name to attract potential free agents when Bryant retires; Bynum is not. 

This isn't a matter of this season. The Lakers won't be winning any championships for a long time if they don't bring in a player of Howard's caliber. The fact that he's a big man only makes things better.

Bryant wouldn't have to do it on his own. The pieces would be in place this season and in future seasons for the Lakers to be the best team in the Western Conference.

Personally, I don't think the Magic should move Howard. But for the sake of more championships in Los Angeles, the Lakers better hope that they do. The pieces in place won't be enough. The Lakers need another dominant player.