It seems like it's over. Dwight Howard is on his way to joining Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol in pursuit of a championship. Marc Stein of ESPN has the initial report that details the following parts of this deal.
- The Lakers receive Howard from the Magic.
- The Philadelphia 76ers receive Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Jason Richardson from Orlando.
- The Denver Nuggets acquire Andre Iguodala from the Sixers.
- The Orlando Magic receive Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington from Denver and Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia, plus a first round pick from one of the three teams involved with them on the deal.
The good news for the Lakers is that they will only have to part with one of their big men. Pau Gasol does not appear to be included in the deal. This means the Lakers can trout out a lineup of Howard at center, Gasol at power forward, Metta World Peace at small forward, Bryant at shooting guard, and Nash at point guard, with playmakers like Jordan Hill, Devin Ebanks and Steve Blake all likely coming off the bench. This is a championship contending lineup for the Lakers, and they should surge up to become one of the Western Conference favorites.
For more on each of these teams, visit SB Nation blogs Orlando Pinstriped Post (Magic), Silver Screen and Roll (Lakers), Denver Stiffs (Nuggets) and Liberty Ballers (76ers).