Dwight Howard Nets: Acquiring All-Star Center Would Make Nets Instant Contenders

It is well documented that the New Jersey Nets and ambitious owner Mikhail Prokhorov are very interested in acquiring Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. It now appears Howard has reciprocated that interest, meaning a trade that would make New Jersey an instant contender in the East is a real possibility.

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, Howard has very strong interest in jumping ship to the Nets and is likely to ask the Magic for a trade to New Jersey.

While there is certainly no guarantee that a deal will ultimately get done, the Nets would be in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference with the addition of Howard.

Talented young center Brook Lopez would likely be the centerpiece of the package going to Orlando, and while that wouldn't be ideal for New Jersey, the chance to acquire the league's best multi-dimensional center is something that cannot be passed up.

Trading for Howard would also all but guarantee that point guard Deron Williams would re-sign with the team rather than test the free-agent waters during the summer. A combination of Howard and Williams would likely give the Nets the best inside-out tandem in the entire NBA.

The Nets would still have to round the rest of their roster into shape in terms of complementary players, but a skeleton of Howard and Williams is a great starting point. Simply having Howard on the roster will give the Nets a major advantage over every other team in the league as he is far and away the best and most complete center in the game.

It's no secret that the Eastern Conference isn't particularly deep, so it stands to reason that the Nets could slide comfortably into the No. 5 seed behind the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, even without the greatest supporting players.

Even after acquiring Howard, the Nets would still have some flexibility in terms of signing free agents, and they would immediately become an attractive destination for veteran players, so the mid-level exception could certainly come into play.

After what happened with the league nixing the Chris Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no telling if a Howard trade could get done easily, but it would make sense from both sides. From the perspective of the Magic, dealing Howard for a package involving Lopez would be a downgrade, but Lopez has the potential to be and may already be one of the league's best big men.

As for the Nets, landing another superstar was paramount in order to increase fan interest and to validate the organization's legitimacy as it continually angles for a move to Brooklyn.

Most importantly, however, the Nets will be true threats in the Eastern Conference for the first time in quite a while.