Houston's attempts to land disgruntled Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard have been well chronicled (see: Draft night), but they're now rumored to be close to a deal involving Howard that would land the Rockets Los Angeles Lakers' center Andrew Bynum, and send Howard to L.A., according to HOOPSWORLD:
HOOPSWORLD has learned that there has been preliminary discussions between the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets that would involve sending Andrew Bynum to the Rockets and Howard to the Lakers.
The Magic are not necessarily in love with the idea of giving either Bynum or Lopez a sizable, long-term commitment as they go through a major roster overhaul. Draft picks and prospects, a la the Denver Nuggets’ return on Carmelo Anthony, is said to be more appealing to Orlando.
Throughout Tuesday, the talk around Howard has shifted away from the long-rumored mega-trade involving the Magic and Brooklyn Nets (and at one point including the Cleveland Cavaliers and possibly a fourth team) and towards a completely new deal.
If the Rockets are able to hang on and outlast a Knicks counter offer to Jeremy Lin, a combination of Lin and Bynum in Houston would rework a franchise image in need of star power.
Read more on the Rockets at The Dream Shake and SB Nation Houston. Check out SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub for more offseason news.
