NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers Seek Trades for Both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul

IT GOES ON AND ON MY FRIENDSSSS

Lakers trade for Paul with NO and Orlando keeps Dwight for the season. Is it financially possible for Paul to resign with Lakers and Dwight walk from Orlando and sign with them too?

Talent wise – there’s no way the Lakers should be able to turn Gasol, Bynum, & Odom, into Howard and Paul. Both the Magic and the Hornets would lose on those deals. Bynum has been injured to much in his career, and Gasol/Odom are on the downside of their careers.

That being said…. it still scares the hell out of me, because I know Espn will push this as hard as they can!

If we can’t get another star (Paul, etc), then just play out the season and let him try free agency. He’ll find there aren’t as many good options as he was hoping for.

So we’d be giving up D12, who we can still build around, for a few aging players on the tail end of their careers. Gasol is 31 and Odom is 32. History shows stats would start to decline very soon if not this year. I sure as hell wouldn’t be interested in going to a geriatrics movement that’s not going to win a title. If we feel we must shop Dwight (only do so if he flat out says he’s not resigning) then we need to go for youth and rebuild.

1. Aside from an “unnamed confidant” absolutely no stories about what Dwight is going to do from Dwight.
2. Every team seems to be driven to improve their team BUT the Magic. Nate Robinson? Please.
3. Otis says he hasn’t decided what he’s going to do about the amnesty clause. I guess all these months off wasn’t enough time to think of a gameplan? At least say you have some options already in the works but saying you haven’t decided makes you look shiftless.
4. The Magic seems content to sit back and allow the rest of the NBA to pick them apart like vultures. They didn’t see this coming either?
5. The lack of willingness to build some positive PR. Hell, throw a rumor out there that you’re going balls to the wall for Paul and Deron is #2, build some hope within your fanbase.
6. The Orlando Sentinel’s reporters suck and depend on other sites to create their own news unless they’re giving their own worthless opinion.

I think an interesting column for you to write would be one that details which teams would be able to sign Dwight outright if Orlando does not trade him. You understand the salary cap (at least the old one) a bit better than I do. Without every team amnestying their highest paid player, it seems like only 2 or 3 teams could go after him with a legit shot. When I look at the salaries it seems like the Clippers have set themselves up nicely for the 2012 free agent class, but teams like Dallas and Golden State would have to spend the year cutting space for Dwight. I’d be interested to hear your take on it.

Will Howard also call Orlando a “dried up pond” when he goes to the Lakers?

focus all my energy on bringing in CP3 or another star player to try to keep D12
.
Things coming out in the press about the Magic being interested in Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and having JRich be Otis’ top priority (from Otis’ mouth) are, in my view, not in the direction the Magic should head. I’d prefer to start the season with the roster we have (other than the amnesty of Arenas) and NOT be in the free agent market for players that are not going to put us over the top. The current roster is not strong enough to make a deep playoff run. We still wouldn’t with any additional lower free agent talent.

We can not afford more multi-year, high dollar contract signings for marginal players. We’ve done that. Didn’t work.

What the Heat experience showed last year was that with the right stars as a base there are many others that will sign for less money. The Heat made the finals with this strategy. Even if we hate them, they are a good team. If we had a combo of D12 and CP3 I could see guys like Crawford and JRich wanting to come to Orlando for less money than they’d want from us right now.

I say the paradigm of how to build a contending team has shifted. It’s not about general free agent signings and trying to bring in good individual players at each position as was done in the past. Get two top stars and build around them with others that want to come play with them and are willing to take less money in order to have a chance to win a ring.

CP3 and D12 can be the start of a dream team. Great P&R combo. ‘Melo and Stoudamire in NY – not so much. ‘Melo isn’t efficient enough and wants the ball in his hands too much.

And would rather acquire trade assets (Redick/Nelson/Bass) or young, cheap talent with upside (Anderson/Orton) that they can put toward a total rebuilding effort?

In short, is there any way Otis Smith can work a deal with New Orleans?

why would otis want a center who is always hurt, an old lamar odom, and the ugly kardashian at all their games? broussard is a blow hard, i wouldn’t take this seriously orl fans.

Miami had no guarantees that Wade would re-sign, or that they’d get either Bosh or Lebron. But they made it happen.

Does anyone know how much money we’d have to clear to realistically pull this off?

And I’ve really never seen the need to comment, because in general someone writes a comment or asks a question that I would.
But now that the whole D. Howard leaving thing has escalated, I haven’t seen someone ask/propose this.
If you are resigned to the fact that Howard is leaving, and he has stated where he would prefer to go, and you want to honor that for him and to get best value for your team. And correct me if I’m wrong, I thought he said he preferred to go to LA, New York (area I guess), or Chicago. Wouldn’t a Howard for B. Griffin, and extra pieces trade really be the only thing to consider? I realize that the Clippers have said take anybody but Griffin, but who would say no to that trade, LA or Orlando? Orlando has one of the top 3 players in the league (arguably) and to me Bynum, and Gasol just don’t offer fair value.

The whole C. Anthony fiasco I think really has warped the sense of value of players to not only fans, but teams also. I really don’t think he is a “star” player, despite what ESPN wants me to believe.

Magic Johnson even said yesterday that Bynum and Gasol were nothing more than role players to the Lakers. How does that equal to D. Howard?

So I propose this:
D. Howard, Turkoglu traded to the Clippers for C. Kaman, B. Griffin, and E. Gordon
(If a trade is inevitable)

According to the ESPN trade machine this wouldn’t affect the Clippers win percentage, and it would take 2 wins away from the Magic. Fair? I really do think the NBA should have worked in some kind of compensatory picks for teams that lose star players. Not only would this still let players go where they want, but it would at least offset some of the loss of small market teams. And when I say compensatory I mean losing D. Howard should get the Magic a top 3 pick, and Orlando should be able to do whatever they want with it.
Thanks I just wanted to get that off my chest.

and i am not quite sure i understand the disdain demonstrated towards some of us lakers fans. is it because we are from los angeles and therefore root for our hometown team? that would be as senseless as if i were to feel disdain towards magic fans because they are from orlando and who naturally feel inclined to root for the magic.

this much i do know: i’ve frequented this blog because i love the reporting, and mostly admire the fanbase and their intelligent opinions. not at all here to stir trouble.