Finally. FINALLY! No more Dwight Howard rumors as the Orlando Magic deal their disgruntled superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team trade that also includes the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers. The Lake Show give up Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala is also included in the deal. Here is a breakdown.
Los Angeles Lakers Get: C-Dwight Howard
Orlando Magic Get: SG-Aaron Afflalo, PF-Al Harrington, C-Nikola Vucevic, SF-Moe Harkless, 2017 L.A. first round pick, future protected first round pick from Philadelphia, and lower of Denver’s 2014 first round picks
Philadelphia 76ers Get: C-Andrew Bynum, SG-Jason Richardson
Denver Nuggets Get: G/F-Andre Iguodala
Why this makes sense for Los Angeles:
Everyone I hear talk about this deal keeps using the phrase, “the rich get richer” and that’s absolutely the truth. Giving up Bynum who is entering the final year of his deal and a first round pick for the best center in the game is a no brainer especially considering L.A. didn’t have to include Pau Gasol in the trade. With Steve Nash and Howard, the Lakers get two All-Star players who help take some of the slack off Kobe Bryant while also re-establishing them among the elite teams in the NBA.
It also gives them the edge to re-sign Howard since the Dallas Mavericks figure to be their only real competition next summer. Howard likely won’t be in a real rush to sign an extension right away but once he gets a taste of playing in L.A. along with Kobe, Nash, and Gasol.
Why this makes sense for Orlando:
They had to deal Howard before the season began. It just wasn’t going to be a pretty situation if he was still on the roster come the start of the season since he openly stated that he wanted to be dealt. What is baffling is how little the Magic got in return for Howard. To only get two quality players in Afflalo and Harrington who are each under contract through 2015, a pair of young guys in Harkless and Vucevic that don’t project to be stars in the league, and three non-lottery picks is getting 25 cents on the dollar when there were seemingly better offers on the table.
So to recap, Orlando doesn’t get any cap relief, great young talents, or valuable lottery picks for Howard. Orlando could easily become one of the worst teams in the league for the next couple of years unless there are other pieces invovled in this deal that have not yet been mentioned.
Why this makes sense for Philadelphia:
Iguodala is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract since he has a player option on his contract for 2013-14 and acquire one of the best bigs in the league. Yes, Bynum is in the final year of his contract as well as will likely test the free agency waters this off-season before he signs an extension but it is worth the risk for a Sixers team needing some better play inside. Losing Iguodala isn’t killer because Philly still has Evan Turner, Nick Young, Dorrell Wright, and Richardson who are capable of producing on the wing. With this acquisition, they could move into the top four in the Eastern Conference.
If Bynum doesn’t end up re-signing with the 76ers, this could be a costly deal moving forward since they ultimately dealt their last two first round picks, a future first rounder, and still owe Miami a first round pick from the Arnett Moultrie trade.
Why this makes sense for Denver:
Depth has been the key for the Nuggets post-Carmelo Anthony trade and this deal lands Denver one of the most versatile wings in the league for a pair of solid role players and future pick. Denver has the depth up-front to replace Harrington without missing a beat and Iguodala is certainly an up-grade on the wing over Afflalo even the former UCLA Bruin has really improved during the past couple of years.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.