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Lakers Rumors: Orlando Magic ‘Very Close’ to Trading Dwight Howard

By | July 6, 2012|

*Update, Ken Berger from CBS Sports*

The Los Angeles Lakers have talked to the Magic about the Howard deal, but apparently nothing is imminent as of this point. Several sources have indicated that Howard being traded is not as certain as thought.

*Original Story*

The Los Angeles Lakers have been talking to the Orlando Magic about a deal that would give them Dwight Howard for quite some time, and talks have recently heated up. The Lakers have the most intriguing player to offer the Magic in Andrew Bynum, and Orlando knows it cannot find a better player to replace Howard.

Local 6 Sports Director David Pingalore has reportedly been told by a source that the Orlando Magic are very close to finally dealing their big man. The source did not name the team that Howard will be traded to, but the best guess at this point is the Lakers.

Pingalore’s sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the proceedings, were not ready to name the team that the Magic were trading Howard to at this time. One source told Pingalore they were “very confident that a deal is close to being done.” The parameters of trades can be discussed now, but they can’t become official until Wednesday under NBA rules.

The Lakers can offer the Magic the best deal and Orlando seems to understand that Los Angeles may be the ideal partner in this trade. So Lakers Nation, do you sense something special brewing in Staples Center next season?

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About the author

Ramneet Singh

Ramneet is a senior writer for Lakers Nation and has been contributing his thoughts on the Lakers and the NBA since 2010. Follow Ramneet on Twitter @RamneetSingh24.

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  • SwooshNike24

    Josh Smith for Gasol and sign some players that will improve the Lakers bench and Were GOOD. IDC if Lakers trade for Howard.

    • Big D

      Please stop and think! Gasol is the perfect fit with Nash… see the Euro games of Gortat and Dirk who thrived with Nash. Bynum is the fourth wheel that does not fit.

  • Eduard2424

    Prolly won’t happen…again

  • Jleihy

    ive been sensing a trade for the bast 14 months since the start of last season when the big d12, kobe, cp3 big 3 was rumored

  • Eduard2424

    SwooshNike24, Pau for J Smith doesn’t make us better and the trade doesn’t work. Their salaries don’t match.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_X6USDLQ3LWZQKPAN433UH6LZS4 Lennon

       That would make us 100x better.  Clear the post for Bynum to feed inside instead of have Pau be a mid range jumper which is his secondary game.  Smoove can hit the glasses hard all game long and provide us with a guy that can stretch the floor.  He can shoot a 3 now and then making teams have to focus on him a lot more than they would Pau.  Smoove for Pau is a much better trade than Dwight for Bynum.  We aren’t even asking for Dwight to sign an extension!  The salaries are a different part of the story.

      • Eduard2424

        Pau has a better mid range game is a better shooter from long range then J smooth and he’s a better rebounder too. All around Pau is better then Josh Smith. If it was Pau for Smith and Marvin Harrison, then that would make us better, but just a straight swap doesn’t make sense for the Lakers. Btw, Marvin Harrison has already been traded.

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_B7UBOP7L6DQWSCG5B3HUCHQEIY xGaminGnSocaLx

          Marvin Williams. Marvin Harrison played football for the Indianapolis colts.

          • Eduard2424

            Lol you’re right. He would’ve helped the trade go through

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7XVGLV5JW6BTO2WZFDLE57VPKQ Joe B

    I think Nash will persuade dwight to join. You forget Shaquille has been in his head since he expressed joining la

  • Carlos23

    you guys would really risk trading Bynum for Howard? wow smh.

    • Bigpigjam

      you are saying that because you know that the Lakers would take over the whole NBA if we have gasol and dwight and nash and of course let not forget Kobe on the same team

    • Gtrght77

      Wouldn think twice about it, I see no risk. I see more risk keeping Bynum. 03

      • Ben Vereen

         Why because Bynum has improved his numbers and had an All Star year last year and will only get better???

        Dwight will miss training camp and nearly half the year.  

        TMac, Larry Johnson, Luke Walton etc… were never the same after that type of back injury and surgery.

        Drews getting his knee fixed by the same doctor that fixed Kobe’s knee.  Did you notice how Kobe was jumping out of the court last year?

        And you wanna gamble with Dwights back??

        And again, why the hell would you want a player that has indicated enough times that he:
        -doesn’t want to be in Shaq’s shadow.
        -doesn’t want to be a 2nd option.
        -doesn’t want to play with Kobe
        -is crybaby skeemer who is toxic to his team and organization?

        Fuck Dwight.

  • http://twitter.com/st0nedatheist BluntMasterBlake

    I would only sign howard if he’s commits to signing long term, otherwise, let’s just keep our team where it is and make our bench stronger.

    • Gtrght77

      Bynum has no long term contract either, Lakers have no money to sign players to make th bench stronger. Trading is about their only option and Howard makes them title contenders right away, Bynum does not.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_X6USDLQ3LWZQKPAN433UH6LZS4 Lennon

    Man, KEEP BYNUM.  Dwight’s athleticism will fade faster than we think.  Bynum’s post game will virtually never fade!  D12 coming off of that back injury that railed T-Mac’s career.  Too risky for me.

    • Fdas

       people recover from injuries much much better than before.. and dwight athleticism is a perfect match for nash. yes, bynum is a better offensive player but it wont matter cuz nash will get dwight tons of dunks cuz dwight is a better pick and roll guy

  • Bigjut24

    Marvin Harrison … really?

    • Eduard2424

      Marvin Williams

  • chasper

    Fuckkk this is shit man im sick of this sources make it happen already……… 

  • Joe

    You really are a Laker hater This move gives the Lakers a definite shooting threat unlike all the PG before. I love this type of review because it is safe to say now but never mentioned again when you are completely wrong

  • david

    Dwight howard finishes at the rim strong unlike bynum. Bynums post moves are not what we need. We need a guy who is quick like howard who can run the floor and get easy feeds from nash to finish at the rim. Bynum is not as quick as howard and would only slow the offense down. Howards a far better defensive presence as well. Suns offense was called seven seconds or less for a reason. Sure nash is good enough to feed a guy who’s posted up but what he likes is to.feed the guy cutting to the basket and finish strong or kick out to open man for 3 which brings us to the need to.sign 3 point weapons like jodie meeks etc.

  • Gtrght77

    Bynum needs to go, everyone who says he is a better option the Howard are just play stupid. The years the Lakers won titles were the years Bynum was injured and he played limitede minutes off the bench. Look how much a health Bynum did the Lakers last season. Bynum sucks at passing out of a double team, he is not a player you should build a team around and needs to go no matter what Howards back problems are. Brooklyn is not longer an option for him to sign with after next season, there is no way Howard is going to leave LA and take 20 million less to sign with another team with a worse shot at a title. If he does decided not to stay the Lakers can trade him for a better package then Bynum would get them. There is no gaurentee Bynum would sign with LA after next season either. Howards defense is much more valuable then anything Bynum offers on the offense. I am so sock of watching Bynum sloth his way down the court and half ass his way into posotion only to throw a tantrum if he doesnt get the ball or turn the ball over when he tries to bulldoze his way though the double team. Bynum will not help the Lakers win the title, he has a bad attititude and does not play well with Pau. Lakers need to make this move for Howard Yesterday. Adding Dwight will get Kobe that 6th ring. Just do it.

    • Gtrght77

      Sorry for some of the typos, posted that from my phone and it was a pain in the ass with the autocorrect changing words for me.

      • Salome7

        i am with you hundred percent,bynum is no good for the lakers compared to Howard and you connected bullseye in all your comments about bynum,good said

    • Iangel824

      Amen….

    • Ben Vereen

       you don’t care what Howards back problems are????  LOL

      Dude has the same injury as TMac and Larry Johnson.  The guy is damaged goods.

      Also HE DOES NOT WANT TO PLAY FOR THE LAKERS.

      He’s made that clear enough.  Why the hell would anyone want a player who doesn’t want to be a Laker?

      Kick Dwight to the curb!

  • http://twitter.com/jayroalvarez Jayro Alvarez

    People are talking about persuading Dwight with Nash, and such, when people forget that it isn’t Dwight’s decision. The Magic management is who is going to decide what happens to Dwight this coming season.

  • Jeremy49b

    Do we really want to take a chance on Howard Laker Nation? Originally I thought I wanted him in LA, but now I’m not so sure. He’s coming off the same surgery that took a multiple time allstar in T-Mac and made him a very average bench player. Also it is clear that he doesn’t want to be in LA, so if he’s forced for a season what effort would we be getting from him? Howard and Bryant seem not to care for one another either, so the one year he’d spend with us might resemble the petty fighting that went on between Kobe and Shaq. I’m thinking that keeping Bynum and trading Gasol would be the ideal situation. Worst case scenario is we keep the second best center in the league. In trading Gasol for say Josh Smith (straight up) would make us younger, more athletic, tougher and would help us with our cap issues. Then we could go sign Antwan Jamison and have a very good 1-2 punch from our power forward spot on the floor. Of course it would also help us to move MWP as well. Maybe then we’d have some cap room to go after a nice back up two-guard, like Brandon Rush.

  • Nellis48

    Go LA get dwight

  • Jbanawa13

    let’s just see what will happen this coming season, if andrew got his knee fixed then most probably howard will have his back fixed too (hopefully)…its a matter of sacrificing and even betting…cant wait for this coming season…they signed nash for 3 years, then he will have 3 rings after retirement. :D

  • Sti1lmatic

    I wish we could pull off an NBA LIVE trade for Pau + Bynum.
    Bynum for Dwight
    Pau for Josh Smith

    I love Pau but he let me down the past two seasons during the playoffs. But he has
    no problem playing his heart out for his country and fellow Spaniards.

    Bynum is just an immature player. I never liked seeing drag and and his time
    walking down the court while the opposing teams PF+C are already down in the post.

  • Csantos595

    i think howard is going to the lakers! watch……..

  • Joelsky

    waiting..waiting..and still waiting..

  • http://www.facebook.com/josue.hernandez.7737 Josue Hernandez

    please lakers bring howard to the lakers he will be a big fit to the lakers get him heat are geting more biger by add allen to there roster next seseon  lakers fans will be happy

  • Joelsky

    Priority is improve the bench. Even if we get the best starting five our bench still sucks with the current roster. No way we can beat OKC or Heat. Look at Miami now  they got Ray Allen making them a more dangerous team. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kobe-Sato/100000008267044 Kobe Sato

    and what if its the Nets, Mavs or Hawks? You never know who thought we were gonna get Steve Nash?

  • http://twitter.com/BTbreal Bernard Tilley

    Yes that josh smith deal is dead sqooshnike 24. Sign rashard Lewis &you jordan Hill &you 1more backup pg &you we are set

  • Fredfunk7

    I believe it is taking so long because it’s a three team trade with both Howard and J-Smoove involved. If the lakers pull thus off all I gotta say is the Heat are damm lucky Ray Allen signed with them.

  • MotivatedLaker

    Bynum does not move quick, offensively. He cannot roll quickly after Nash gets takes the pick. I’m not sure. Dwight can. But I’m not sure if he needs to be in LAL either. I know Gasol has two lackluster playoff performances, but he will be a great fit for Nash. I dunno, maybe move Bynum? Move Pau? I dunno. A starting lineup with Nash, Bryant, World Peace, Gasol, and Bynum? Yeah its a title-contending starting lineup. But what about the bench? The bench would be the real issue here. Do we need to sign again Ramon Sessions and move Steve Blake? How about Matt Barnes? He was a goner in the last playoffs. Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts aren’t working out  for the bench as well. Jordan Hill is fine. Provides spark. What IF we bring back Trevor Ariza and let him sub World Peace from the bench? Or even sub Kobe Bryant off the bench. I felt dismayed when the Atlanta Hawks refused to take a look at the Josh Smith-Pau Gasol trade. But what if we moved Andrew Bynum for Josh Smith and make Pau Gasol the starting center and Josh Smith taking the starting power forward spot? I dunno. But one thing’s for sure, whatever this LAL team is this season will be better because of Steve Nash. I dunno if Kobe Bryant will take lesser or more shots. But I do know that he will take higher quality shots from now on because of Nash’s play. He will now be the focal and vocal leader. LAL is now better. 

  • Mmitchel80

    It ain’y gonna happen.

  • Barry

    i would think that howards back is ok. This is a billion dollar business. It would be crazy for mitch to invest on a player with a bad back. I’m sure they know more than us. I will give them the thumbs up to make the lakers better. Go for Dwight! He has a more championship spirit than Bynum.

  • Barry

    have you seen Kobe play during an ALL-Star game with an elite point guard? He’s averaged 20+ points every All star game. That’s how he’s gona play when nash is around. This team is gona get better. 2 guards with the highest basketball IQ touching the ball. 

  • NashFan7

    trade Bynum for D12, Dwights defense will make up for the lack of defense from Nash, and Nash and Howard would make an extremely deadly pick and roll at Kobe into that equation along with Pau and you have a championship threat instantly, also i think they should sign Grant Hill, they could use the mid-level exception to sign him and he could still contribute with limited minutes, these two moves could make one of the best Laker teams in history, also Dwight would be a fool not to resign, he’d have a better chance to win, more money, and the lure of Hollywood to keep him

  • Ben Vereen

    BROKE

    BACK

    DWIGHT

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