The trade rumors and speculation will be running rampant over the next five days or so with the NBA trade deadline on March 15 drawing near. It is no secret at this point in time that if the Los Angeles Lakers make a blockbuster trade before the deadline that forward Pau Gasol will be involved. Even though Gasol is the most likely player on the Lakers to be traded, there is debate over whether or not Andrew Bynum might also be involved in the same deal.
Apparently, the storied NBA franchise is content with the All-Star center for the first time since drafting the 24-year-old back in 2005. There is always a chance that Bynum could go down with another serious knee injury at any moment, but this season he has begun to come into his own as one of the league’s best big men.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the only way the Los Angeles Lakers will involve Andrew Bynum in a trade before the deadline is if they get Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic in return:
The Lakers will likely only move Bynum in a deal for Howard, sources said. The Houston Rockets still have interest in Gasol – who they nearly acquired in the offseason – but will likely have to recruit a third team that can send a point guard to the Lakers. The Rockets have shown no inclination to move their own point guard, Kyle Lowry.
There are plenty of potential trade scenarios circulating around the Lakers right now with the deadline looming; most of which involve acquiring point guards rather than Dwight Howard. The chances of a potential blockbuster trade for Howard still remains slim to say the least for the Lakers, but there is a possibility if the Magic can’t find a suitable trade partner and the right pieces in return.
Spears also went on to explain the other trade scenarios for the Lakers:
The Lakers also could target the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Ramon Sessions, Utah Jazz’s Devin Harris or Portland Trail Blazers’ Raymond Felton in potential smaller deals. The Minnesota Timberwolves have shopped forward Michael Beasley to the Lakers, among other teams.
The most likely deal the Los Angeles Lakers make before the NBA trade deadline on March 15 is to land a point guard which is the team’s weakest position currently. Acquiring Sessions, Harris, Felton or Kirk Hinrich of the Atlanta Hawks is highly likely, but don’t count out a deal for Dwight Howard at the last minute.
