The Los Angeles Lakers would like to re-sign Dwight Howard and build their franchise around him. The team has made that abundantly clear since the end of the season, but Howard has made it equally clear that he would like to explore all of his options first.
If LA is going to lose Howard in free agency, they might be best off working out a sign-and-trade involving the 27-year-old center. That way, Howard could get a max contract and the Lakers would get something in return. But does any team have the resources needed to pull off a deal of that magnitude? The Los Angeles Clippers might.
As talks remain ongoing between the Clippers and Boston Celtics for a potential deal that would send Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to LA in exchange for DeAndre Jordan and draft picks, the Clippers have been hesitant to include point guard Eric Bledsoe in a trade. That does not mean they would not include Bledsoe and Blake Griffin in a potential swap for Howard.
“If the Clippers do indeed decide to formally offer Griffin and Bledsoe in a sign-and-trade package for Howard, indications are that it’s a proposal the Lakers will certainly not dismiss outright,” ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne reported over the weekend. “Blake Griffin is about as untouchable with the Clippers as you can be, but you have a chance to go after Dwight Howard with the idea of having Howard and Chris Paul along with Kevin Garnett and (possibly) Paul Pierce.”
Shelburne went on to say that it is “hard to believe” the Clippers would part ways with Griffin, but LA understands that it will have to talk big names if it wants to acquire a player like Howard.
Of course, there’s always a possibility that none of this happens and all of the aforementioned stars stay with their current teams. Doc Rivers may even have another career path in mind aside from basketball, so his situation remains up in the air. Still, the thought of Howard in a Clippers uniform and Griffin in a Lakers uniform is one that will make NBA fans’ heads spin.
