Analyzing the Dwight Howard Trade From All Angles

At a press conference Friday, Dwight Howard holds up his new jersey as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Kevork Djansezian)

When a blockbuster trade such as this occurs, it isn't just the teams involved who are affected. The whole league feels the repercussions. Just as with every action there is a reaction, every trade seems to have its winners and losers. With a trade this large, the winners and losers become more broad as well. I will focus on what I believe to be the teams that are most directly affected by this trade.

Winners

Los Angeles Lakers
Putting Dwight Howard's deficiencies aside, he is still the best center in the league. Whatever team has him is a better team from a talent standpoint. The Lakers have been trying to land him for a long time. They've come to realize that the combination of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the paint simply wasn't good enough to bring them a championship. After sending offers with all sorts of combinations of players and picks, the Lakers ended up only having to give up Bynum and one first round pick for Howard. Any GM would give that up in their sleep. Combine this trade with their one for veteran point guard Steve Nash, and the Lakers have to become the favorite in the Western Conference. With a core four of Howard, Nash, Gasol, and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are going to be tough to beat on any given night. Resigning Howard long-term could turn into another media circus, but the Lakers will worry about that next offseason.

Philadelphia 76ers
Without giving up the best player in the deal, the 76ers were the beneficiaries of receiving the second-best player, Andrew Bynum. Bynum is a 7-footer who averaged nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds per game last season. Those type of players don't become available very often, especially one as young as Bynum. In return, the 76ers did trade away their best player, Andre Iguodala, and their two most recent first round picks, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. The team's relationship with Iguodala wasn't the best, and while Vucevic and Harkless do show promise, neither one is expected to blossom into stars nearly as talented as Bynum. The big question for the 76ers as well is whether they can re-sign Bynum long term. Since he grew up not too far from Philadelphia, there is certainly a chance. Even if they are unable to resign him, they will have freed up enough cap room to sign a top free agent or two.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets were able to acquire Andre Iguodala from the 76ers as part of this trade. Iguodala will pair beautifully with Danilo Gallinari to give them a dangerous duo at the wing. Iggy won't have the pressure on him to score like he did with the 76ers. He will be able to focus on playing tenacious defense and let that lead to fastbreak offense. The Nuggets did give up guard Aaron Afflalo and veteran big man Al Harrington, but that combination doesn't come close to comparing to Iguodala. Additionally, the Nuggets will reportedly save approximately $23 million in future money as a result of the trade. This means that the Nuggets were able to become a better team and save a considerable amount of money down the road. That shows they are a winner if you ask me.

Losers

Orlando Magic
You know I didn't think that anyone could handle this situation worse than Dwight Howard, but the Magic themselves found a way. In July, the Magic were fielding some great offers. The Brooklyn Nets offered Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, and four first round picks. The Rockets offered roughly $12 million in salary-cap relief and a better package of picks. The Lakers even offered Bynum and Gasol combined with picks. No, the Magic turned all those down to settle for this in August. You have got to be kidding me. The Magic are getting the combination of Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, three lottery-protected first round (five overall) picks. There's a lot there so there's a chance that someone could turn out to be a star, but there isn't anyone there right now. The Magic turned down a bunch of better offers only to accept this assortment of unknowns. I am disappointed for the franchise and their fans.

Small Market Franchises
All around the league, there are small market front offices shaking their heads at this trade. As the old mantra goes, the rich gets richer. That's what happened again here. While many franchises hope to have just one superstar player, the Lakers now have four. While the new CBA does discourage signing many stars like the Lakers have done, it doesn't stop them from doing so. Even though it is true that the small market teams below the tax will benefit from the Lakers' penalties, it won't help them to get any closer to a championship themselves. This trade only hinders these small market franchises even further.

Western Conference Contenders
Just in case the road to the NBA finals wasn't difficult enough last season, the Lakers are now absolutely stocked and reloaded. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks now have to adjust their lineups to be able to matchup with the new Lakers lineup. Each of these teams and any team in the Western Conference are going have to work even harder in order to make it to the NBA Finals.