Howard to the Lakers: Breaking down the trade
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 30: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic drives aganst Ian Mahinmi #28 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game at Amway Center on March 30, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.
He held a city and millions of basketball hearts hostage for nearly a year. He called himself Superman, a moniker that the city of Orlando only knew too well, and regarded with bitterness and anger. It’s been seventeen years now, and Orlando basketball will now relive its worst event in much the same form. Their superstar center will depart to Los Angeles, the home of purple and gold, for the second time in the franchise’s young history. And that’s not even the worst of it, the part that’s going to sting the most.
It’s what the Magic get in return for Howard in the four-team trade reported by ESPN and Yahoo: peanuts – not even the salted kind.
According to reports, the Magic get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and three or more future protected first round picks. The Lakers get Dwight, the Nuggets get Andre Igoudala, while the Sixers get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.
What it means for the Sixers: The Sixers have been looking to move Igoudala, a top perimeter defensive player in the league for a post presence for over a year now. After at least two failed trades and multiple trade rumors, Igoudala is out of Philly and will get a chance to prove his mettle in Denver’s high tempo offense. Philly have rolled the dice with this one, considering that Bynum has stated that he will extend his contract with only the Lakers. They’ll be hoping the claim was nothing more than a bluff and that Bynum, easily the second best center in the league today, will take the 3 years, 60 million extension the Sixers can offer him. Bynum makes the Sixers more dangerous than they were last season, and he should have a stellar year provided he stays healthy. As the focal point of Doug Collins’ offense, look for Bynum to average 23-24 points per game and for Philly to challenge for the #5 seed in the East.
What it means for the Nuggets: Love this trade for Denver. They give up only one asset – Afflalo – for the second best perimeter defender in the NBA and a freak of an athlete who is also currently on the Olympic roster for Team USA. Iguodala might score more efficiently in Denver’s fast paced game than he did in Philly. He should shore up a sub-par Denver defense that allowed opponents to shoot 45% from the field, good for 24th in the NBA last season. Afflalo is a good prospect, but the addition of Igoudala makes Denver a more complete team. They’re still looking for that superstar to take the team over the top though it appears as if Denver might make it past the first round of the playoffs next season.
What it means for the Magic: What an awful trade. What a terrible, almost comically bizarre trade. The Magic have traded away the best center of this generation for protected 1st round picks (all of which will be between 18-30), a three point marksman and Al freaking Harrington. Oh, there’s Nikola Vucevic too, you know, the guy who Collins didn’t trust to play more than a handful of minutes in playoffs in total, despite the Sixers’ frontcourt issues. The Magic would have been better served taking Bynum without the guarantee and every pick the Lakers could trade over the next five years. Instead they’ve got a washed up 32 year old forward with a propensity to start shooting the second he touches the ball once he makes a basket (ignore his 15 PER from last season, it’s about as misleading as Ray Allen‘s shooting percentage from the playoffs last season). Basically, the Magic have traded away their franchise player for Afflalo, a black hole and a bunch of Norris Coles. Wow, way to go, Magic. The Magic will almost certainly be the worst team in the NBA the coming season, and likely for the next as well. You can breathe now, Charlotte. Wait, did Michael Jordan do this deal for Orlando?
What it means for the Lakers: Kobe can almost touch number six with this trade. The addition to Dwight immediately catapults the Lakers into the rarified basketball air that only the Thunder and Heat currently occupy. Initial thoughts: the Lakers are better than both on paper with this trade. Gasol plus Dwight gives the Lakers a massive advantage in the post over the Heat and I see the Steve Nash-Dwight Howard pick-and-roll as the most devastating thing in the NBA this season. Dwight/Gasol/World Peace/Bryant/Nash is not a starting five, it’s a freaking Olympic team. Those five would beat any roster not named Team USA in London. Dwight potentially makes the Lakers the best defensive team since the Pistons in 2003, along with Nash makes the second most potent offensive team after the Heat. Remember all those sequences last season where the Heat went on a tear and transcended all known basketball limits, shocking and wowing us to the point where we shook our heads and said, this is just not fair? Well, the Lakers are going to do that pretty often this season, and they’re going to do it better.
Last thoughts: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, ORLANDO?