Lakers Rumors: Why LA Must Be Dwight Howard or Bust After Failed Chris Paul Deal
After the league rejected a trade that would have brought New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles, the Lakers are left in a very precarious position. They are past the point of no return, though, and have to make a big splash. That big splash needs to involve Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
Howard reportedly asked for a trade last week with the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks being the three teams his agent was given permission to speak with, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Lakers have since dealt forward Lamar Odom, once part of the proposed Paul trade, to the Mavericks, thus eliminating the Mavs from making a play for Howard. It has been thought that the Nets are the front-runners for Howard's services, but the Lakers need to make a power move.
Howard has softened his stance in terms of asking for a trade, but I ultimately still believe that something will come to fruition. Howard's caveat is that the Magic make significant moves to improve the team, but it doesn't appear as though that is going to happen, so Howard could certainly still be on the way out of town.
Los Angeles has already tipped its hand with the proposed Paul trade, so there would be plenty of backlash from the fans if it is unable to pull off a big move. Also, center/forward Pau Gasol was to be traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the Paul deal, so the Lakers must figure out something with him.
Perhaps Gasol could move on in time, but it has to be tough for him to remain a Laker while knowing that he isn't actually wanted. If the Lakers truly want Howard, then they can likely get the deal done as they have solid pieces in Gasol and oft-injured, but extremely talented center Andrew Bynum.
Without a big trade, the Lakers are still among the better teams in the Western Conference, but their performance in the playoffs last season proved that changes need to be made. One of the biggest issues was weakness inside, perpetuated mostly by Gasol.
Howard would completely change that as no player affects what opposing teams do in the paint more than Howard. Not only would he be a huge asset defensively, but he is also capable of filling it up on the offensive end as well, so he would take pressure off guard Kobe Bryant.
Ultimately, the Lakers have already exposed their plans so there is nothing they can do other than move forward and pursue another trade. No other available player has as profound of an impact on a game than Howard, so the Lakers must go all in and do everything they can to acquire him.
