Despite the fact that Jim Buss has previously called Bynum "untouchable" in any trade talks, the future of the team relies heavily on the center's development and consistent health.
While he's certainly shown flashes of being a dominant center in the league at times, Bynum has missed an unbelievable 77 games over the last three seasons, and a whopping 124 over the last four.
He might be just 23 years old (he'll be 24 in October), but Bynum's knees have already proven that they are a fairly large liability. With new head coach Mike Brown promising to craft his offense through his big men, that necessitates Bynum staying healthy for the length of the season, something he hasn't done since the 2006-07 campaign.
So what should the Lakers do with their young center? While some Lakers fans are clamoring to build a package around Bynum for Howard, any deal for Orlando's franchise center will almost certainly include the bloated contract of Hedo Turkoglu.
Because a potential trade for Howard would almost certainly have to include Lamar Odom and potentially even Ron Artest, the Lakers would be left with the starting small forward options of Turkoglu (assuming he's included), Luke Walton or Matt Barnes.
Yuck.
The last thing that the Lakers need is an overpaid veteran who is a shell of his former self. The size advantage that the club has over the opposition is something that they're not going to be eager to give up, and it's very possible that they could pursue a trade of Bynum without relinquishing it whatsoever.
Acquiring Howard would be great for the Lakers, as it would for pretty much any team in the league, but he's not the only option for a team that is looking to win right now. In fact, he might not even be the best fit.
Howard would certainly make for an imposing...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
