OFFICIAL DWIGHT HOWARD TRADE / SPECULATION / THOUGHT THREAD

[Stebo_SSK]

I haven't been on in a while but I had to log in for this foolishness. Lakers fans are cleary one of, if not the most dellusional fanbases in the world. In any sport. Lakers fans, WE ARE NOT YOUR FARM TEAM. Please explain to me, what incentive we have to trade Dwight to you?....

You may say that we can't possibly live through another circus season with the "Dwightmare". Message for you, who gives a crap? The Magic fanbase I assure you has already written off the season as a total loss. So, our options are losing with drama or losing without drama. Doesn't make much of a difference to me. What incentive do we have to allow another super team to form? If a trade will only bring us marginal improvements, then let Dwight walk. I'm against the school of thought that says he has to go immediately. WHY? What difference does it make? To put it bluntly, we're going to suck this year. What difference does it make if we suck and Dwight is pouting the whole time. Put him on IR and let him walk. Then we'll see who he will and won't accept a trade to. And if he's still that adament about not accepting a trade, go sign with Dallas or the Bobcats. Have fun with that.

I guess you dont understand that the Lakers on can come into play in a 3 team scenario. If Houston decides to make a safer play for Bynum and it also gives Orlando another team to unload a bad contract and take back expirings. I think you may want to get acquainted with the trade rumors.

[Bruteque]

There are a few problems:

1) Keeping Howard ruins ORL's own pick. Even keeping him for half a season will hurt the pick's value a whole lot. To put it simply, Hennigan is under a heck of a lot more time pressure than his trading partners to move Howard. Not only does Howard himself lose trade value over time, he also degrades ORL's most valuable asset in ORL's own 1st the more games he plays.

2) Howard wants to go where he wants to go. Unless he actually wants to go somewhere other than his list, "helping ORL out" more than he already has does him absotively posilutely no good. There just isn't much Howard can do to "help ORL" send him where he wants to go.

3) All Hennigan has to trade is a Howard rental/gamble outside the list. It'd be a friggin minor miracle if HOU is willing to give something substantial for that. Certainly no other team appears to be willing to give up something substantial for the rental/gamble. It also doesn't help that, even though Howard can't say it for as long as the slimest chance to go to BKN/LAL remains, if Howard doesn't get traded to where he wants, HOU may be the team that makes the most sense for Howard financially and competitively out of all the teams which will have the cap space to sign Howard outright in the offseason, and Morey no doubt knows it (smooth move, James Dolan). DAL may be the best team to use as 3rd choice leverage for Howard right now as the FA signing destination because DAL has even less to offer than LAL, but if Howard actually gets to FA without landing in BKN/LAL, DAL may prove to be just that: leverage.

4) The rule changes in the new CBA really screws ORL. Players get more money not signing extensions. Players also do not get more money in S&T over signing straigh up with a team with cap space anymore. The tax apron rule also kicks in in 2013, so there is no S&T with luxury tax apron teams period. As long as BKN/LAL/DAL is the list, Howard's Bird Rights means jack sh*t at the end of the season, because he can sign with DAL for the exact same money as he can get in a S&T. The S&T would offer some leverage if there are teams without the cap space to sign Howard outright that he prefers over DAL/HOU/CLE etc., but both BKN and LAL are tax apron teams and cannot do S&T, so there is no "safety net" to get a little bit of something out of Howard past the trading deadline. Even if Howard just wants out of ORL, he knows that if ORL doesn't trade him somewhere else by the trade deadline, then they have essenatially guaranteed themselves to lose him for nothing (not to mention completely ruining their own 1st).

[Stebo_SSK]

@Bruteque You are ignoring the fact that a 3 team trade is something can be done. No one at this point thinks LA can get Howard in a 2team trade. Cleveland and Houston have both expressed interest in Bynum to a degree. Houston has the better possible package due to the TOR lottery pick but Cleveland has some good high pick prospects to trade and cap room to take on more bad contracts. This is why LA still has a small chance. If Houston does not want to take on a risk of Howard they could take on Bynum and send a package while LA takes on an additional bad contract. Its going to come down to whether or not Houston wants to take the risk, if they dont they can still make a play for a good big...same thing for Cleveland, they are overdue for an impact big to pair with Irving and if they up the ante they could very well help LA get Howard while in turn getting what they need for their future.

[deircr3]

Do you think Dwight will play the Im hurt card and not play or play but suck on purpose?

[BadMofoPimp]

Personally, I think Stern & Dwight Howard have done an excellent job of making a possible trade to the Lakers appear possible without ruining the Magic fan base over the past year. A year ago, there would have been a riot here in Orlando. Now, people are ready to accept being a farm team for the Lakers. Well done, Stern and Dwight. Your master plan could not have been better scripted. Now, the NBA could continue its conquest of the global market with the Knicks/Heat/Celtics/Lakers as the face of the NBA.

[BadMofoPimp]

Do you think Dwight will play the Im hurt card and not play or play but suck on purpose?

I know this will happen. I have seen it before. Player sits out with injury until traded. Then, all of a sudden, a week later, they are healthy enough to play again.

[Stebo_SSK]

Personally, I think Stern & Dwight Howard have done an excellent job of making a possible trade to the Lakers appear possible without ruining the Magic fan base over the past year. A year ago, there would have been a riot here in Orlando. Now, people are ready to accept being a farm team for the Lakers. Well done, Stern and Dwight. Your master plan could not have been better scripted. Now, the NBA could continue its conquest of the global market with the Knicks/Heat/Celtics/Lakers as the face of the NBA.

What does Stern have to do with this? He cant force a trade or make a player not want to leave Orlando. The main issue the man wants to leave is because of the ineptitude of Orlando's FO. What team pays Rashard Lewis a salary on the level on nearly Kobe Bryant's? What team lets a player like Hedo go in his prime after a Finals run only to trade for him again at a higher price? What team doesnt improve their team after getting beat in the Finals? The Spurs have won 5 titles in the past 13 years did the NBA have a hand it that too? Cleveland could have gotten their with Lebron, OKC is building a team also and the Knicks are a mediocre team. So ur assessment of this global market conspiracy is nonsense. The Lakers have a competitive advantage due to wanting to pay their stars and always making moves to improve the team. Orlando is the complete opposite. Dont be upset at Stern.

[BadMofoPimp]

Stern is from L.A. and it appears he has had a hand in helping the Lakers get the people they need to get to remain contenders. Dwight wants to be the man in movies, videos and probably music someday. He wants to be an international star with all the accolades (women and money) that comes along with that. Stern can help him with this cause. By making Dwight a villain in Orlando, the fans may not revolt as much when they farm their talent to the Lakers again.

As for the Spurs, sometimes, players choose to stay with an organization they feel comfortable with. The Spurs have worked hard to keep what they have. Cannot say that for everyone else, including the Lakers at times.

[Bruteque]

@Bruteque You are ignoring the fact that a 3 team trade is something can be done. No one at this point thinks LA can get Howard in a 2team trade. Cleveland and Houston have both expressed interest in Bynum to a degree. Houston has the better possible package due to the TOR lottery pick but Cleveland has some good high pick prospects to trade and cap room to take on more bad contracts. This is why LA still has a small chance. If Houston does not want to take on a risk of Howard they could take on Bynum and send a package while LA takes on an additional bad contract. Its going to come down to whether or not Houston wants to take the risk, if they dont they can still make a play for a good big...same thing for Cleveland, they are overdue for an impact big to pair with Irving and if they up the ante they could very well help LA get Howard while in turn getting what they need for their future.

Didn't think that was worth mentioning anymore after Bynum's agent pulled the same thing Howard's agent pulled. Even before Bynum's agent pulled that rental/gamble line, at the last reported talks between ORL/HOU/LAL, HOU was not that interested in Bynum even when Bynum was reportedly inclined to sign with HOU/CLE/DAL at season's end. After Bynum's agent pulled the rental/gamble line, even CLE lost interest, let alone HOU, who didn't appear to be that interested in Bynum even when Bynum reportedly had them on his list.

[HeartAndHustle]

Stern is from L.A. and it appears he has had a hand in helping the Lakers get the people they need to get to remain contenders. Dwight wants to be the man in movies, videos and probably music someday. He wants to be an international star with all the accolades (women and money) that comes along with that. Stern can help him with this cause. By making Dwight a villain in Orlando, the fans may not revolt as much when they farm their talent to the Lakers again.

As for the Spurs, sometimes, players choose to stay with an organization they feel comfortable with. The Spurs have worked hard to keep what they have. Cannot say that for everyone else, including the Lakers at times.

So I guess you're saying Stern veto'd that CP3 trade last year because he wanted to hold out for Dwight?

[Wade3]

Orlando are in tough position because even though I would think picks are very important, how valuable would the picks be down the line? If DH12 goes to Houston for a year then they're 2013 picks will be invaluable unless they throw in Toronto's pick. If DH12 goes to LAL with Cleveland Cavaliers involved then Bynum alongside Irving is pushing Cavaliers to play-offs and again the picks aren't very useful.

Orlando should try very hard to trade Glen Davis, Hedo, Q.Richardson for a couple of picks in a three way trade to a team that will miss the playoffs or atleast have a better chance of missing them rather than the obvious contenders.

[BadMofoPimp]

So I guess you're saying Stern veto'd that CP3 trade last year because he wanted to hold out for Dwight?

Stern and the NBA owned the Hornets of which the Hornets never would have accepted that CP3 trade. Besides, being the NBA owned the Hornets, the entire league of owners are partial owners of the Hornets. Thus, just about every owner in the NBA was about to veto that trade anyways. Stern just beat them to the punch.

FYI. I would rather win Championships that root for a bottom feeding heart and hustle team.

[Stebo_SSK]

@Bruteque You are ignoring the fact that a 3 team trade is something can be done. No one at this point thinks LA can get Howard in a 2team trade. Cleveland and Houston have both expressed interest in Bynum to a degree. Houston has the better possible package due to the TOR lottery pick but Cleveland has some good high pick prospects to trade and cap room to take on more bad contracts. This is why LA still has a small chance. If Houston does not want to take on a risk of Howard they could take on Bynum and send a package while LA takes on an additional bad contract. Its going to come down to whether or not Houston wants to take the risk, if they dont they can still make a play for a good big...same thing for Cleveland, they are overdue for an impact big to pair with Irving and if they up the ante they could very well help LA get Howard while in turn getting what they need for their future.

Didn't think that was worth mentioning anymore after Bynum's agent pulled the same thing Howard's agent pulled. Even before Bynum's agent pulled that rental/gamble line, at the last reported talks between ORL/HOU/LAL, HOU was not that interested in Bynum even when Bynum was reportedly inclined to sign with HOU/CLE/DAL at season's end. After Bynum's agent pulled the rental/gamble line, even CLE lost interest, let alone HOU, who didn't appear to be that interested in Bynum even when Bynum reportedly had them on his list.

They didnt pull anything. All either agent said is that they would test Free agency. The thing that alot of media outlets and fans dont seem to be privy to is that it is useless for a max contract level guy to extend. The GM's and Agents know this. Its you guys that keep thinking oh well he wont resign. Bynum is looking for security. Wherever he goes the team will own his Bird Rights, basically setting him up to get a 5yr 108 mil contract with said team. If he walks the max is 4yr/75M. Howard has the privilege to walk because he can make up the difference in other areas, Bynum isnt getting any endorsement deals to get other finances. Another reason they can say anything is because its against the rules for a player or an agent to outright say they would resign with a team they arent under contract with. This is why "media sources" have been so important. They basically get the word out without. The problem with this is that too many fake guys become "sources".

[BadMofoPimp]

Bynum will resign with whomever team he is on when his contract is up for that Max deal. Because, he needs that security in case his career is prematurely ended due to a serious injury. He has no Adidas or Nike contracts to fall back on like Dwight does. Dwight could play for the MLE and still get paid twice what the max salary is via Endorsement deals internationally.

[HeartAndHustle]

So I guess you're saying Stern veto'd that CP3 trade last year because he wanted to hold out for Dwight?

Stern and the NBA owned the Hornets of which the Hornets never would have accepted that CP3 trade. Besides, being the NBA owned the Hornets, the entire league of owners are partial owners of the Hornets. Thus, just about every owner in the NBA was about to veto that trade anyways. Stern just beat them to the punch.

FYI. I would rather win Championships that root for a bottom feeding heart and hustle team.

NBA conspiracy theories are dumb

[BadMofoPimp]

So I guess you're saying Stern veto'd that CP3 trade last year because he wanted to hold out for Dwight?

Stern and the NBA owned the Hornets of which the Hornets never would have accepted that CP3 trade. Besides, being the NBA owned the Hornets, the entire league of owners are partial owners of the Hornets. Thus, just about every owner in the NBA was about to veto that trade anyways. Stern just beat them to the punch.

FYI. I would rather win Championships that root for a bottom feeding heart and hustle team.

NBA conspiracy theories are dumb

Stern was trying to save face after almost allowing that trade to go through until the backlash of owners saved the rest of us for truly being a farm team to the Lakers and Knicks. But, it still hasn't stopped Stern and the NBA from still trying to build the Lakers dynasty.

[Stebo_SSK]

@BadMofoPimp You either must be a young teen or very dillusional. How in the world is Stern trying to build a Lakers dynasty? How on earth does him helping the Lakers help the NBA as a whole? As if there aren't other teams in the NBA that aren't getting TV interest. Are people not watching the Thunder and Clippers? If anything LA has a 1 to 2 year window to do anything at this point with the age of their players and they havent done the greatest the last 2 years so not sure what you are cooking up over there.

[HeartAndHustle]

Stern was trying to save face after almost allowing that trade to go through until the backlash of owners saved the rest of us for truly being a farm team to the Lakers and Knicks. But, it still hasn't stopped Stern and the NBA from still trying to build the Lakers dynasty.

If the rest of us are just farm teams for the Lakers and Knicks, then how come the Knicks have completely sucked over the past 2+ decades?

And FYI, If the NBA is fixed and you'd rather root for a team who wins championships rather than a "heart and hustle bottom feeder" then why the hell are you a fan of the NBA and a Magic fan at that??

[Bruteque]

Didn't think that was worth mentioning anymore after Bynum's agent pulled the same thing Howard's agent pulled. Even before Bynum's agent pulled that rental/gamble line, at the last reported talks between ORL/HOU/LAL, HOU was not that interested in Bynum even when Bynum was reportedly inclined to sign with HOU/CLE/DAL at season's end. After Bynum's agent pulled the rental/gamble line, even CLE lost interest, let alone HOU, who didn't appear to be that interested in Bynum even when Bynum reportedly had them on his list.

They didnt pull anything. All either agent said is that they would test Free agency. The thing that alot of media outlets and fans dont seem to be privy to is that it is useless for a max contract level guy to extend. The GM's and Agents know this. Its you guys that keep thinking oh well he wont resign. Bynum is looking for security. Wherever he goes the team will own his Bird Rights, basically setting him up to get a 5yr 108 mil contract with said team. If he walks the max is 4yr/75M. Howard has the privilege to walk because he can make up the difference in other areas, Bynum isnt getting any endorsement deals to get other finances. Another reason they can say anything is because its against the rules for a player or an agent to outright say they would resign with a team they arent under contract with. This is why "media sources" have been so important. They basically get the word out without. The problem with this is that too many fake guys become "sources".

The "nothing" they pulled sure seemed to have stopped the ORL-LAL-CLE trade talk dead in its tracks. As soon as Bynum's agent made the "clarification," all reports of ORL-LAL-CLE talk immediately went away. Besides, the reported CLE 3-way offer looked like complete cr4p even before Bynum's agent scared them off. HOU reportedly had little interest in a 3-way for Bynum even before Bynum's agent tried to scare teams off (see below for a possible key contributing factor).

One other key consideration that hasn't been mentioned is that, due to the over-35 rule, Bynum's age, and salary tiers, Bynum can maximize his career earnings by signing a 2+1 player option deal, then opting out to a higher bracket to line up his age with the over-35 rule. No doubt Bynum's agent has made this clear to him. Due to this, Bynum's Bird rights doesn't give much real leverage if he is traded somewhere he doesn't want to be, as Grant and Morey are probarly all too aware.

The biggest problem, however, may be that, none of ORL's potential trading partners are nearly as desperate as ORL is. All of them can afford to wait longer than ORL can. LAL can re-sign Bynum just fine if he's not traded; CLE and HOU are both set up perfectly to rebuild after HOU stole Lin and Asik. The only team that's royally screwed by standing pat is ORL.

[Stebo_SSK]

Not really, alot of the talks stopped due to Orlando not wanting to make a deal at the time. If you just look at the facts at this point if they wanted a deal one would have been done by now. You think LA wants to move into a post Kobe era without a star? You think Cleveland or Houston wants to move on without an impact player? All 4 teams are looking to make some type of serious move that will change the landscape for their future. Right now there is no reason to rush for Orlando, camp doesnt start for 2 months and they have time. No reason for a deal to be done immediately.