Lakers Rumors: Why Dwight Howard Must Be Priority No. 1 for LA

The Los Angeles Lakers were spurned by the NBA in the Chris Paul trade, and since backing off the deal, they have focused on making a move for Dwight Howard. The best center in the NBA needs to be in a Laker uniform this season or the team stands no chance. 

With so much madness happening during the free-agency period, the Lakers cannot lose sight of their goal, which is to become a better team. 

This is why trading for Howard must be their top priority moving forward. Without him, the Lakers will be risking too much of their future on Andrew Bynum, and that is not a wise move. 

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that the Lakers are indeed looking to acquire Howard, which puts them in competition with the New Jersey Nets. 

Obviously joining Kobe Bryant and the Lakers is the better option, and that is why LA needs to push hard to land Howard. 

It won't be easy though, because according to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Lakers have traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for their 2012 first-round pick. 

Kobe Bryant was quoted saying, "To be honest with you, I don't like it." 

Of course, if the Lakers are able to get Howard I have a feeling Kobe will soon forget Odom. Business is business, and he has to accept the fact that the team wanted to move on from Odom. 

Bynum would likely be the centerpiece of a Lakers deal for Howard, but the Orlando Magic might also pursue Pau Gasol as well. 

The Lakers would then have a very hard decision to make, but it's one that would land them the league's best big man, and together he and Kobe could make a lot of magic happen out west. 

Losing Odom, Gasol and Bynum would leave the Lakers in a huge hole, so I doubt they pull the trigger on that type of deal. 

However, they must explore all options because right now they're not a complete team, but with Howard, they definitely would be. 

Remember that when Kobe had Shaquille O'Neal, that Lakers team was essentially just those two guys. Sure, other role players stepped up in big moments, but Kobe and Shaq dominated for the majority of the game. 

Kobe and Howard would be able to do the same thing.

Yes, Kobe is much older now, but he can still play with the best of them. Give him a talented center like Howard, and they're going to go far. 

These are the reasons the Lakers' primary focus must be in trading for Howard immediately. He makes them a great team not only now, but also ensures that the future of the franchise will be in good hands.