Los Angeles Lakers: Crafting the Trade for Superman That Orlando Can't Refuse

If you haven't heard yet, the Lakers just started the 2011-2012 season with a blockbuster trade, shipping out Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol to the New Orleans Hornets for star-studded, All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

But they probably won't stop there.

The Lakers have plans to becoming the next superpower in the NBA, joining the likes of the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and New York Knicks (if you include Chauncey Billups) as teams with dominant Big Threes in the rotation.

The only move left now is to snag Dwight Howard and complete the trifecta in Los Angeles.

But after trading both Gasol and Odom, do the Lakers have enough firepower to land such a high-priced talent as Howard?

There's only one sure-fire way to sway them into excepting an offer they cannot refuse.

Andrew Bynum Must Be Moved

Andrew Bynum's name has been tossed around since last season as being on the Lakers' trading block. It's time for them to put their money where their mouth is and pull the trigger on him. Though he's injury prone, there's no question that his potential is through the roof. 

And his exorbitant $14 million contract is just about enough to absorb Superman's well-deserved $18 million contract.

Last season, Bynum put up 11.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and two blocks in only 27.8 minutes per game. After getting some extra rest time from the lockout, could you imagine how a rejuvenated Bynum could look after the trade?

Offer Metta World Peace or Luke Walton with Steve Blake

Andrew Bynum alone won't be enough to sway the Magic into trading the centerpiece of their franchise. No, they need something more.

Throw in Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) whose exorbitant, nearly $7 million contract more than makes up the difference between Bynum and Howard's. 

Though he's lost a step since his days in Houston, Artest is as physical and emotional a player that you'll find in the NBA. He might have only averaged a lackluster 8.5 points per game, but there was a point in time, not too long ago, where he was an over 40 percent shooter from deep.

And if Orlando doesn't want World Peace and the drama that comes with him (no pun intended), they could easily swap him out for not-so-lucky Luke Walton with his ridiculous $5.6 million contract and Steve Blake—a player the Lakers no longer need with both CP3 and Derek Fisher in the lineup.

Walton is an underachiever by all definitions of the word, but Blake can knock down open threes if he's given a chance. And that's something the Magic live and die by: three balls.

A Host of Draft Picks

The Lakers won't have any good draft picks for years to come—they're now a perennial championship contender, with or without Howard—but having depth in rookies that can be developed is something that no GM can turn down.

Offer the Magic three draft picks, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and give them even more youth to add to that young team.

Conclusion

There you have it. The trade that the Magic will have to accept:

Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest or Luke Walton & Steve Blake, and three future draft picks for Dwight Howard

Think it's a tad excessive? That's the price you pay for a top-tier talent like Howard.

You can argue that Howard will clog the lanes for Kobe to go to work in, but the fact is that these three will bring even more championship rings to the city of Los Angeles.

Besides, Howard won't sign a contract extension with anyone else, will he?