Lakers Rumors: Mitch Kupchak Hints at Big Moves on the Horizon

Come on, you really didn't think that the Los Angeles Lakers would give up after one silly nullified deal, did you?

The Lakers may have struck out on Chris Paul and lost Lamar Odom to Dallas in the process while also causing a disruption amongst the players, but that's not going to stop them from possibly making another big move. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak reportedly said that the team is pursuing big deals for the future which can only mean one thing is possibly in store for this legendary franchise.

Before we get to the projected deal, let's go over what has already happened.

First off, the Lakers shouldn't even be in this situation and they can thank the league for that. A trade that would have sent New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and Lamar Odom was nullified shortly after the trade went through with the cause being, no joke, "basketball reasons."

In a league where Gasol was brought in for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, an unproven Marc Gasol and two first round picks, this CP3 deal actually appears to be fair for the Hornets. They get four quality players in return for Paul to build around and no longer have to worry about possibly losing out on Paul come free agency when he does eventually leave.

With the trade nullified, the Hornets and Lakers are now in serious trouble. Every trade involving Chris Paul outside of the Lakers has died which means that he's most likely to become a free agent next year and leave the Hornets with nothing in return. The NBA is attempting to hold the best interest of keeping a superstar in a small market, but it was an awful decision to abuse their power and possibly end basketball in New Orleans as a result of it.

The trade didn't sit well with the Lakers at all. Odom and Gasol were scorned as a result and it ended up with Lamar demanding a trade and eventually ending up in the hands of the same team that had beaten the Lakers in a sweep the previous postseason. Gasol didn't react the same way and seems collected, but we can understand a player like Odom, who has been with the team since 2004 and assisted Kobe Bryant through the dark ages in the post-Shaq and pre-Gasol era.

During that era, the Lakers made the playoffs twice with two first round exits to show for it. Bryant and Odom represented the lone bright spots on those teams and they managed to persevere (aside from that little trade demand by Kobe) and came away with two championships because of it. It's obvious to understand why Odom's peeved, as he has given this franchise everything and is traded on a whim for a younger player.

Losing the league's reigning Sixth Man of the Year hurts in so many ways. It not only hurts the team as a whole—he was one of the lone quality players off the bench—but it also effects the team when it comes to making a possible trade for the star player that I will soon mention.

Originally, if the team sends out Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for whichever player they desire, they would at least have Odom there to back up Gasol and take over his spot at starting power forward. Instead, the team must now rely on the unproven Derek Caracter and rookies Ater Majok and Chris Daniels for their secondary help in the post.

Call me crazy, but is everything really alright in Laker land? They have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, but how much longer can they continue fooling themselves that Andrew Bynum is going to miraculously stay healthy and become this 20-10 player that they've been waiting for since drafting him out of high school. Not only that, but are they still going to continue starting Derek Fisher with his backup being Steve Blake?

The bench is weak with Blake and Matt Barnes being the only sources of some sort of reliability and consistency. There are several rookies and second-year players that we have no idea what to make of and they basically represent the future of Lakers basketball.

As depressing as it is, Kobe Bryant isn't here to stay for another 10 years. Eventually, the likes of Caracter, Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris will have to become the starters.

A big move, or a series of small moves, are in order for the Lakers. They're not going to remain relevant for long if they stick by their guns with a 33-year-old Bryant, a 31-year-old Gasol and a 32-year-old World Peace leading the way, which means that a big trade could absolutely be on the horizon and it could potentially involve Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

That deal that didn't bring in Chris Paul has its upside. For one, a center is much more valuable in today's NBA. You can go around the league and find a number of quality point guards (Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, etc.), but you won't find many quality centers outside of Howard. Teams can match up with a player like Paul, who is coming off of knee surgeries mind you, but not many can match up with a healthy and developing Howard.

Bringing in Howard would provide a much larger upside than bringing in Paul. In the deal that sent out CP3, they would have been left with Paul, Bryant, World Peace and Bynum leading the way. It's a solid lineup, but when Bryant and World Peace eventually depart and Bynum doesn't develop, you're left with Chris Paul in another situation like New Orleans.

With Howard, you have one of the NBA's most dominant players who carries a significant influence in the post. That influence helps deter players in the paint and makes Bryant's job a whole lot easier, as he can find himself getting easier shot opportunities, while also allowing Howard to do the majority of the work on defense. After 40,000 minutes, Bryant's eventually going to need a breather and Howard would provide that chance.

It would result in the loss of Gasol and Bynum, but it would at least give the Lakers something to look forward to. A center that can score is a high commodity in this league and L.A. would possess one of the greatest advantages in the NBA.

The Magic aren't winning games because of how their offense is run with the ball stuck at the perimeter, but it wouldn't be run like that in L.A., as the ball would eventually run through Dwight much like how it did during the previous Laker era of inside-outside basketball.

We've seen Kobe Bryant with a quality center and it resulted in three consecutive titles. Howard doesn't have the same offensive ability of O'Neal, but in a league where quality centers are difficult to come by, Dwight would still dominate, as he would be playing alongside a more mature Kobe as well as one that wants to end his career with a bang.

If the Lakers want to get a deal done, they'll get it done. They've proven to us too many times before that they are capable of making these monumental moves, and if they're aiming towards obtaining Howard, or any other superstar, they can make it happen.