Kobe Bryant Trade Rumors: How Bryant's Demand Would Impact Dwight Howard, Magic

Kobe Bryant is becoming frustrated and impatient with the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office in the same way Dwight Howard is with the Magic front office.

Stephen A. Smith reported on SportsCenter that he believes Bryant is going to request a trade soon:

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“I predicted that Kobe Bryant will demand a trade, and I am not budging from that. He’s livid. I’ve known Kobe too long. He is ticked off. It’s not just because [the Clippers] got Chris Paul, which is a guy that he expected to have. It’s because Jim Buss seems to be doing the inexplicable.”

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Kobe has reason to be angry as the Lakers have done nothing but regress this offseason. The Lakers lost out on Chris Paul after commissioner David Stern blocked a trade that would have sent Paul to Los Angeles.

So instead of welcoming a top five player in the league to the Lakers, Kobe got to watch Paul go across town to play for the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s not often Kobe has to watch his team regress in the offseason. He has also never had to play second fiddle to the Clippers.

To add insult to injury, the Lakers traded the best sixth man in the league, Lamar Odom, to the Dallas Mavericks, the team that defeated Bryant and company last postseason en route to winning the NBA Championship.

The Lakers roster as it stands now is not championship material, and Kobe knows it. Add in the loss of Phil Jackson, and a new coach in Mike Brown and a volatile situation in Los Angeles is brewing.

On the flip side, Dwight Howard has demanded a trade. The Lakers and the New Jersey Nets seem to be the only teams truly in competition for Howard’s services. Those two teams along with Orlando are the only teams Howard has said he would sign an extension with.

Howard is angry with the Magic front office for not making moves. He has stated he felt that the organization hasn’t included him in personnel decisions, and feels like he deserves to have some input.

So how does this all come together?

While Kobe’s anger with the Lakers is legitimate, it would seem the rumors of a trade demand are simply to make the Lakers panic and make a move for Howard.

Kobe pulled a similar move in 2007 when he demanded a trade and was almost sent to the Chicago Bulls. The trade fell through and the Lakers obtained Pau Gasol, and the rest is history.

Kobe making this move now makes sense. The Lakers are unwilling to move both Andrew Bynum and Gasol together for Howard, which is the only deal that seems capable of landing Howard at this point.

Bryant’s demand could make the Lakers move both Gasol and Bynum, along with multiple picks and pieces from a third team for Howard.

It is unknown if the move is Bryant legitimately wanting out of Los Angeles to contend for a championship before his window closes, or Bryant making a power play to bring Howard to L.A.

It is known that if Bryant’s would-be request motivates the Lakers to give up more for Howard, the Magic are the true winners in all of this. It’s never easy to let go of a franchise player, but with a little help from Kobe Bryant, the Magic may be in a great position to do so.