I wrote yesterday about the possibility of Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum playing somewhere new next year. He clearly isn’t happy in L.A., however with his low level of team dedication, I doubt he’ll be happy anywhere. But hey, a change of scenery couldn’t hurt.
This past season, as the trade deadline approached, there were discussions of trading Bynum to Orlando for Dwight Howard. Neither side seemed to agree on how much Howard was worth, so the trade never happened, but Sports Illustrated says both organizations need to take another look at that option.
For the Lakers, it would be a great trade even if they did have to give up more than just Bynum. If they kept Pau Gasol, the Bryant/Howard/Gasol trio would be pretty intimidating. It would be great for Bynum because he could finally get out from under Kobe’s shadow and stop whining about it. He might finally be able to come into his own role if he’s relied on more in Orlando. For the Magic, obviously losing a talent like Howard would hurt the team, but I think we can all see that Howard isn’t happy in Orlando. An unhappy player never plays to their full potential.
Howard may not be the only option for the Lakers though. A source close to Deron Williams says he might be interested in moving out to L.A. Williams has been rumored to be looking at going to Dallas, but the Mavericks may not have the talent to entice him. The Brooklyn Nets point guard has also said he’d like to stay with his current team if they can improve, but so far there have been no signs that that will happen.
So the Lakers have some choices to make. No doubt Kobe Bryant will be pushing for them to make some sort of big moves in the offseason. Everyone knows he wants that sixth championship ring and it’s not hard to see he’s not going to get it with the supporting cast he has now. The Lakers have the right amount of talent but not the right team dynamic. Will a Dwight Howard or a Deron Williams help fix that problem? Only time will tell. They have to make the moves first.
