NBA Trades 2011: Where Chris Paul and Dwight Howard Will End Up

In an offseason already made frenetic by the lockout, the best point guard and the best center in the league will most likely move in the coming weeks. With New Orleans' Chris Paul and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard, two undisputed superstars of the game, expressing their desire to move to greener pastures, fans around the league are already dreaming of their team landing one of these two explosive talents.

Although both would like to be playing in a different jersey by the time Christmas comes around, it is far from certain that will happen. They still have time left on their contracts, and their respective GMs will dangle them as long as possible until they get what they want. For a team that trades for one of these players, an extension would most likely have to happen as well; no one is trading for a one-year rental. Still, chances are good that Howard and Paul will get what they want by the time the regular season rolls around.

Among the potential suitors for Howard are teams like the Bucks, Knicks, Nest, and the LA teams, with Howard said to be most strongly interested in becoming a Laker. Magic GM Otis Smith, however, will trade to whomever gives him the best deal, which may not be Los Angeles after all. The Magic are rumored to prefer Bucks center Andrew Bogut to the Lakers’ more inconsistent Andrew Bynum.

For the Lakers to land Howard, a three-team trade may need to happen between the teams with a couple of bit-part players shuffling around along with a few more senior players in an attempt to sweeten the pot for all sides involved.

The Lakers aren't the only team in the City of Angels that will be eying the big center. Donald Sterling’s Clippers, looking to add an established star to a young team led by a rising one in Blake Griffin, might break from tradition and offer a deal for Howard. Over on the other coast, the New Jersey Nets, desperate for a big name to generate excitement for their impending move to Brooklyn and in order to convince point guard Deron Williams to stay, could offer a swap with Brook Lopez and a couple of draft picks.

With that stated, Howard’s obvious desire is to join Kobe and company. Even though the Lakers are an aging team whose strength was questioned after they were badly exposed by the Mavericks in the playoffs, Howard believes that he can help power LA to another championship right now.

Howard’s problem is that any team who acquires him is giving up a lot, and will therefore be less talented at other positions even with his acquisition. The one positive for the Lakers in that regard is that, besides Bryant and Gasol, there is arguably no indispensable player on the team; the likes of Bynum or Metta World Peace could conceivably be traded with little impact.

I believe the trade that will eventually happen is the three-team trade between the Bucks, Magic and Lakers, with the Bucks picking up Bynum and couple of other decent players to complement Brandon Jennings and soften the blow of losing Bogut, the Magic getting a player from the Lakers like Lamar Odom in addition to the Australian and the Lakers getting Dwight.

For Paul, the most likely contenders are the Knicks, Clippers and Celtics, although, at this point, the Hornet looks very unlikely to end up in Boston (where he would probably be replacing Rajon Rondo).

While it is clear that Paul is eager to play at Madison Square Garden, his dream may be a little more difficult to accomplish than Howard’s. With Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony taking up a majority of the Knicks' cap space, Paul, who is looking for a max contract or something close to it, may not get the money he wants in New York. It is also debatable whether the system of Mike D’Antoni is one that fits Paul’s style of play.

An intriguing scenario is one in which both Paul and Howard head for the Staples Center—to play for the Clippers. Obviously, the Clippers would have to give up some talent to get this (presumably only Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin are exempt from any cap-clearing cuts), but having Gordon, Griffin, Paul and Howard in the starting lineup would instantly catapult them into contention in the Western Conference, which is an attractive enticement.

While money is a crucial motivation for both Paul and Howard (as it always is when it comes to free agency), both of them are looking to win, and for the opportunity to retire with championship rings on their fingers, fittingly enough, their best chance to do just that might come if they wind up playing together.