When Dwight Howard‘s name went on the trade market last summer, every team in the NBA placed a call to possibly strike a deal with the Orlando Magic. Proclaimed as the most dominant center in the league, Howard made a list of teams he wanted to be dealt to and before long, the Magic had rid themselves of the immature seven-footer.
In a little over a year, Howard has managed to wear out his welcome in Los Angeles, so don’t be surprised when the pending free agent bolts for someplace else. With a $100 million payroll for 2012 and no playoff wins to show for it, the Lakers will definitely shake things up this offseason. The domino effect will begin when the Lakers decide what to do with Howard but once he hits the road, the landscape of Los Angeles will change forever.
Additionally, Kobe Bryant‘s contract is also a gigantic elephant in the room as he is due $30 million for next season — keep in mind a torn achilies will keep the Black Mamba out for quite some time. I see the Lakers amnestying Kobe because no matter what, he is the highest-paid player in the NBA and it’s financially irresponsible to keep that kind of dead cap on the team.
Re-signing Howard and axing Kobe might be death to the purple and gold, but it’s necessary in all sports to remain competitiveness, regardless of the big names that are on the floor.
This will be the hardest offseason in Lakers history and if it ends with Howard on the club, something went terribly wrong.
