Lakers Should Not Pursue Howard: Fan Reaction

　　The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be working on a Dwight Howard deal…again. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Howard has indicated that he wants to go to Brooklyn, and only to Brooklyn. He can't veto a trade, but his demands will certainly cause teams to think twice about giving away a lot of assets to get the big man. If he won't sign a long-term deal, you don't want to trade away their stars. Could the Lakers make a deal? Possibly. Should they? No.

　　A possible deal
　　If Orlando is going to trade away Dwight, they clearly want to get the best deal possible. The player being discussed is obviously Andrew Bynum, and you have to assume that the Magic would be interested in the young center. Bynum may have some attitude issues, but he is younger and may be the type of player that can be a cornerstone athlete. As mentioned, Howard doesn't have the right to kill a deal, but stars in the NBA can certainly make things difficult by making demands to the media. Granted, Jim Buss may not want to give away his favorite player.

　　Sharing the spotlight
　　Is this about Kobe Bryant? Why wouldn't Dwight want to come to Los Angeles and play alongside Kobe and Pau Gasol? That seems like a pretty solid trio of players. There have been some rumblings that perhaps Howard wants to be "the man" in whatever city he plays. As a fan, I get really tired of this prima donna behavior. Just play the game and stop thinking about whether you are the most popular player on the team. If the rumors are true about why Howard does not want to come to Los Angeles, that is just sad.

　　A major risk
　　The problem with this deal is that the Lakers could end up with nothing. There is no guarantee that Bynum will sign a long-term deal, but he is at least saying the right things right now. Howard has stated that he will only sign an extension with one team. If that is the case, you can understand why teams would be hesitant to make a deal. The only scenario might be if Orlando moves him at the trade deadline next year and accepts what they can get rather lose him to free agency without any compensation.

　　The irony
　　I do wonder if Dwight realizes that his demand might make it harder for him to end up in Brooklyn. Maybe he is willing to wait, but can Brooklyn make a trade right now? What do they have to give Orlando? The roster is not exactly stocked with young talent. In addition, since everyone knows that Howard wants to go to Brooklyn, the Nets are in the best position to dictate the offer. Still, they may spend a lot of money this offseason on Deron Williams, which could limit their ability to sign Howard next season.