NBA Rumors: Better Chance Dwight Howard Gets Shipped Than Chris Paul

All the NBA trade talk and rumors of late have been about the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard and the New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul. While Paul was nearly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, it appears that deal is all but dead. Howard on the move seems much more likely now at this point.

The Lakers and Hornets resubmitted their trade, but after the NBA forced a halt to the original trade, it seems unlikely that the resubmission will make any difference. The trade was quite complex, as it involved major sacrifices from not only the Lakers, but the Houston Rockets as well. The Lakers would be departing with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, while the Rockets were said to be moving Kevin Martin and Lois Scola. Picks were to be involved as well.

The Lakers seem to be stuck on this deal, and it looks as if it may take some time and negotiating with the league in order to get it done, if it ever does.

The main thing that is holding back the deal is that the Hornets are owned by the NBA, and any deal they make results in them not getting a marketable superstar in return. With all the commotion of the recent CBA, this decision just seems irresponsible on behalf of the NBA.

In the meantime, it seems as if Howard will be dealt, and one could assume it would go down much more smoothly. The front-runners for Howard's services appears to be the New Jersey Nets. The Nets have plenty of pieces, including a rising big man in Brook Lopez headlining any deal.

The Magic seem to be in position, and in much more of a hurry to make a move. Given that the Magic's general manager Otis Smith granted Howard's agent the ability to explore a trade, it seems as if this process is going to be worked out much more easily.

The only thing that could hold back this result is if the Lakers do convince the Magic that they can make something happen for Howard. If the Lakers do so, they will likely wait to complete the trade once the Paul deal goes through so they can figure out what assets they could move to Orlando.

Howard and the Magic seem just as finished as Paul and the Hornets. If Howard does end up going to any team other than the Lakers, there is a better chance that he will be moved.