NBA Trade Rumors: Andrew Bynum's Injury History Will Keep Dwight Howard from LA

If Andrew Bynum is the main part of the trade, Dwight Howard will never be a Laker. 

In light of the Los Angeles Clippers' acquiring of Chris Paul, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Lakers should offer Bynum and Pau Gasol to Orlando for Dwight Howard. There's only one problem with that logic. 

It would make absolutely no sense for the Magic to make that move.

Orlando could easily wait until the trade deadline to make a move. At that point, teams would be far more willing to mortgage a lot. When the deadline is here, teams know if they're in contention or not and know exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are. At this point, they don't. With all of the post-lockout roster moves that have happened, teams only have an abbreviated training camp to know what they have. 

Let's take a look at Bynum objectively. The most objective thing you can look at with him is the numbers.

He has averaged 55 games per season with career averages of 10.5 points per game, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. That's not the young building block that you want to bring in to replace a player like Howard. 

I know that Gasol is also in Medina's idea, but his age is a sign that he won't be around for long. Bynum is the building block here.

The 55 games a year is nothing short of alarming. The fact that he's only 24 is even worse. If he can't stay healthy for a full season now, it's not going to get any better as he gets older. That's science talking, not me. 

Now, a lot of the top centers in the game's history have had similar issues staying on the court. It happens when you have to support such a huge body. But those centers, like Shaquille O'Neal, put up far better numbers than Bynum. An injury-prone center who averaged 15 points a year in his best season is not what you give up a player like Howard for. 

If Bynum is the best building block they can get, the Magic are better off keeping Howard in Orlando. Even if they don't get him, they'll be able to spend that money on future free agents. Orlando is a nice destination spot. If they fork out the money, they will get plenty of big-name free agents. 

Bynum and Gasol being the best offer that the Lakers can muster only guarantees that Howard will not be a Laker anytime soon. 

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