Blockbuster Trade?
– Via Sporting News –
The Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers have completed a four-team deal that will send Dwight Howard to LA, according to ESPN.com.
A trade call is scheduled with the NBA for Friday morning, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
There has been no confirmation of a deal from any of the teams.
The proposed deal, according to Stein:
– LA would receive Howard.
– Philadelphia would receive Lakers center Andrew Bynum and Magic shooting guard Jason Richardson.
– Orlando would receive Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo, Nuggets forward Al Harrington, Sixers center Nikola Vucevic and protected future first-round picks from LA, Philadelphia and Denver.
– Denver would receive Sixers forward Andre Iguodala.
Small forward Moe Harkless, a first-round pick of the 76ers in the 2012 NBA Draft, will also be among other pieces moved to Orlando, a source told Stein. The Magic will also net some second-round picks in the deal, according to Yahoo! Sports Marc J. Spears.
According to Spears, Magic point guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark will head to LA.
Howard will not sign a contract extension as part of the deal, a source tells Stein. The big man wants to still hit free agency next summer as well as see how comfortable he is in LA, according to ESPN. By not signing an extension, Howard keeps his options open for a return to LA, or a move to the Dallas Mavericks, a team that is reportedly on his preferred destinations list.
ESPN’s Ric Bucher reported via Twitter that Lakers forward Pau Gasol is not in the deal, citing a source close to Gasol. Earlier reports had indicated Gasol was involved.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant was reportedly “ecstatic” that LA was able to make a significant move without giving up Gasol, a source close to Bryant told Stein.
Bynum is also a pending free agent after this season. The 76ers are willing to take him without any assurances of a long-term deal, according to ESPN.com. Bynum is originally from Plainsboro, N.J., about an hour away from Philadelphia, ESPN.com notes.
A Howard trade ends the on-again, off-again saga between Magic and their franchise center. For months, Howard maintained that he would only go to the Brooklyn Nets. The teams engaged in discussions for months, before Howard decided to exercise his player option for the 2012-13 season with Orlando. Early this offseason, the drama took another turn when Howard again sought to be traded. Trade discussions involved a number of teams, including the Lakers, Nets and Houston Rockets.
The last proposed deal between Orlando and Brooklyn in July would have sent center Brook Lopez, forward Kris Humphries (on a one-year deal for $9.6 million), guard MarShon Brooks and four unprotected first-rounders to Orlando for Howard, Richardson, Duhon and Clark, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.
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