Ugh! Dwight Howard wants to go the the Lakers

[hpantazo]

Bucher says (off hoopshype.com) that if the magic don't win a title Howard wants to sign with the Lakers. There go our hopes of pairing him with Rondo. Would the Lakers even have the cap space?

[indeedproceed]

Bucher says (off hoopshype.com) that if the magic don't win a title Howard wants to sign with the Lakers. There go our hopes of pairing him with Rondo. Would the Lakers even have the cap space?

This my friend is beyond jumping the gun..it is jumping the gun, getting in a car, and also finishing the race.

Dwight Howard to Orlando is as much or more of a pipedream than LeBron to NY.

Wait and see how this plays out. At some point, LA is going to need to completely re-tool (2013ish or so I imagine) and the guys that are just beating up on the Magic (Celtics, Lakers) are going to get worse in the next 3 years. Dwight might stay, might go, might go to LA, might go to Brooklyn. Who knows? Maybe he'll go pair up with Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon on the Clippers after Baron Davis's contract runs out.

Eric Bledsoe
Eric Gordon
Al-Farouq Aminu
Blake Griffin
Dwight Howard

that's a fearsome 5 right there.

[Fafnir]

Well if he wants to follow the Shaq model I guess that makes sense.

Unless LA makes some major moves it won't happen though, they've got too much money tied up in their long term core.

Even then Boston will have a superior situation to LA in my view. Especially given that the one young talented player on the LA team to compare with Rondo plays the C position.

[Roy H.]

The Lakers have a minimum of $70 million committed through 2013 (and $61 million through 2014), so they're not going to be able to sign him outright as a free agent.

That doesn't preclude a trade, sign-and-trade, etc., but it's going to almost impossible for the Lakers to clear cap space to sign a max free agent any time soon.

[Who]

Dwight Howard hasn't given this any real thought or analysis.

He is just spouting off the first teams that come to his mind and they are LA and NY.

Don't take it seriously.

[hpantazo]

The Lakers have a minimum of $70 million committed through 2013 (and $61 million through 2014), so they're not going to be able to sign him outright as a free agent.

That doesn't preclude a trade, sign-and-trade, etc., but it's going to almost impossible for the Lakers to clear cap space to sign a max free agent any time soon.

that's what I was hoping for.

[Change]

More ESPN sensationalism.

If Bucher did any fact checking, he'd know its impossible. Lakers are locked in with this core until after 2014. Dwight FA is in 2012. Other option is a trade. Better chance I win the lottery than Dwight being traded to the Lakers.

[Fafnir]

More ESPN sensationalism.

If Bucher did any fact checking, he'd know its impossible. Lakers are locked in with this core until after 2014. Dwight FA is in 2012. Other option is a trade. Better chance I win the lottery than Dwight being traded to the Lakers.

Dwight can be a FA either in 2012 or 2013. I believe he has a one year player option worth a lot of money. He might very well take that one year if no team really looks attractive to him, or the CBA means he can't make up for that lost year at big money.

[pearljammer10]

Bucher says (off hoopshype.com) that if the magic don't win a title Howard wants to sign with the Lakers. There go our hopes of pairing him with Rondo. Would the Lakers even have the cap space?

This my friend is beyond jumping the gun..it is jumping the gun, getting in a car, and also finishing the race.

Dwight Howard to Orlando is as much or more of a pipedream than LeBron to NY.

Wait and see how this plays out. At some point, LA is going to need to completely re-tool (2013ish or so I imagine) and the guys that are just beating up on the Magic (Celtics, Lakers) are going to get worse in the next 3 years. Dwight might stay, might go, might go to LA, might go to Brooklyn. Who knows? Maybe he'll go pair up with Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon on the Clippers after Baron Davis's contract runs out.

Eric Bledsoe
Eric Gordon
Al-Farouq Aminu
Blake Griffin
Dwight Howard

that's a fearsome 5 right there.

I have no fear based on what I've seen from the fearsome four of Bledsoe, gordon, aminu, and griffin this year. Griffin paired with Howard is nice, not with those other pieces around them however.

[StartOrien]

Yikes.

[houseonfire09]

Umm... I'm pretty sure it's required by NBA/ESPN law at this point for people writing speculation about where Major Superstar X will go when he's a free agent to mention the Lakers and NY.  What's he gonna do, sign for the MLE?  give me a break.

[CelticSooner]

Bynum and pieces for Howard?

Danny needs to go hard after Dwight after next season.

[Fafnir]

Bynum and pieces for Howard?

Danny needs to go hard after Dwight after next season.

Perhaps, but only if Dwight agreed to it and was willing to take another team's offer in FA if Orlando didn't sign and trade him.

[wdleehi]

Has there ever been a top NBA star that was going to be a FA that ESPN didn't connect to the Lakers?


Didn't ESPN bring up Lebron to the Lakers?




Next they will report he would also be interested in playing in NY. 


Of course the Texas teams will then be mentioned. 



It is the usual pattern.

[dpaps]

If Bucher did any fact checking, he'd know its impossible. Lakers are locked in with this core until after 2014. Dwight FA is in 2012. Other option is a trade. Better chance I win the lottery than Dwight being traded to the Lakers.

 I mean this is just flat out incorrect. Unlikely, yes. Impossible, definitely not. Better chance you win the lottery? Nope.

In 2004, what were the chances we got KG and Ray by 2007?