The Dwight Howard trade rumors continue to circulate around the league with the 2011-12 NBA season drawing near as the things began to heat up once again with ESPN 710 Los Angeles radio host and Los Angeles Lakers announcer John Ireland stirring the pot with yet another rumor as he heard from an unnamed source that the superstar center could be headed to the New Jersey Nets as early as tomorrow (Tues. Dec. 20).
With all the trade speculation and rumors flying around over the past few weeks, it is hard to believe anyone at this point in time as nothing has gone the way anyone has predicted. John Ireland does have some credibility in this area though as he was one of the few that heard from the same unnamed source last season about LeBron James and Chris Bosh teaming up with Dwyane Wade in Miami.
With that being said, this most recent trade rumor with Dwight Howard being dealt to the New Jersey Nets could very well be exactly what will happen. Now that the season opener (Dec. 25) is just days away, the Orlando Magic are probably itching to make a deal before the season begins as the potential for an injury to Dwight Howard that could jeopardize a trade for the superstar goes up considerably.
There is still a chance that the Los Angeles Lakers could pull the trigger on a deal that the Orlando Magic would accept for Dwight Howard, but the consensus around the league is that the Magic won’t accept anything less than the combination of both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum from the Lakers. This move is obviously very risky for the Lakers as they will be trading two of their three best players and breaking up a trio with Kobe Bryant that has won two NBA titles over the past three years.
The next 24 hours could be very interesting if John Ireland’s source is reporting the truth about a blockbuster deal in the works for Dwight Howard. There is no doubt in my mind that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has been working the phones in order to see if a deal is imminent and if this is the truth, the Lakers might up their current trade proposal in order to bring another dominant center to Los Angeles.
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