While the perennial All Star and double-double machine may not want to re-sign with the Lakers once he is traded to L.A., the best chance the team has of swaying his opinion will be by showing him what he could be missing out on.
ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard is reporting about the truth to the speculation that Howard would not re-sign with the Lakers:
I'm getting conflicting information on Howard's desire to play for the Lakers. Reports suggest Howard has cooled on the idea of playing alongside Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and a plugged-in source insists that Howard definitely does not want to play for the Lakers. But another person close to the situation insists that Howard remains open to the possibility of playing long-term with the Lakers.
The idea that Howard would walk at the end of the season and become a free agent after the Lakers had to trade away some of their biggest stars would be a disaster, so the team would only do this if they felt they had the inside lane in re-signing the star.
As far as what a deal between the two teams would look like and which key parts would have to be moved, this would be the definition of blockbuster trade.
Broussard is also reporting about what it would take to get this deal done:
While the Lakers have been reluctant to give up Gasol and Andrew Bynum for Howard, that trade, perhaps with Hedo Turkoglu thrown in, remains a possibility.
While there are hundreds of factors to take into consideration for Los Angeles at this point, the first decision needs to be whether or not the center will re-sign if the Lakers trade for him.
If Howard shows interest in the Lakers' future plans and would be willing to stay in L.A. long-term, the team is r...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
