Chris Paul and Dwight Howard Rumored to Become Reality for Los Angeles Lakers

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are about to join forces to form the latest Lakers' dynasty.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that, "sources with knowledge of the situation say the Lakers actually have something greater in mind: acquiring both players [Howard and Paul]."

While it may seem like a long shot that the Lakers would be able to put together a deal to entice both players from their respective clubs, it is not.

Paul and Howard's Willingness

This move would not happen if the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets were free to trade these players to whoever they wanted. However, they aren't. Any team that trades for Paul or Howard will want them to sign an extension first. And both players likely have a short list of teams they want to sign with.

The Lakers' Matt Barnes has already said that he has talked to Howard and the star center said he would like to be a Laker.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul has made it known that he wants to be a New York Knick. However, the Knicks have nothing that will make it worth the Hornets' while to let go of Paul. 

It is not a big stretch of the imagination to see how the Lakers can convince Paul to come to the Lakers. He would be in a position to win a championship, while playing for one of the most storied franchises in the league in one of the biggest markets.  

What Lakers Have to Offer

The Lakers' pursuit to land both of these of players invariably means that everyone on the roster not named Kobe Bryant is available.

LA has valuable pieces in Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to offer.

The Lakers can package Bynum and Odom to the Magic for Howard. This would also allow the Magic to throw in Hedo Turkoglu for cap relief. The Magic will not find a better offer than this from a team Howard is willing to sing with.

The Lakers can then offer Pau Gasol for Chris Paul. Gasol is one of the league's best big men.

There is no way the Knicks can match this offer. And with what is surely a small list of places where Paul will accept a trade, the Hornets are not going to get a better piece than the All-Star Gasol.

Both of these trades work in ESPN's trade machine.

Dynasty

Paul and Howard would join with Kobe Bryant to form the most complete "Big 3" in the league.

The Lakers would have a point guard in Paul who is an adept scorer but is comfortable being a table-setter. They would have one of the games' all-time great closers to help them seal games in crunch time with Bryant, and they would have the league's premier center who is capable of single-handedly making a team's defense elite.

The Lakers would be potent on offense, and stingy on defense. They would have the athleticism to score points on the run, and the point guard to help them dominate in half-court offense.

This squad would be the favorites to win the championship until Bryant's age robbed him of all effectiveness. They would also have the young nucleus of Paul and Howard to build a championship team around for the future.