The next few weeks of the NBA offseason are going to be insane. Between the daily updates, practice reports, free agency, and trade rumors, news will be flying left and right out of Los Angeles.
Two of the huge names to emerge as potential trade targets are Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. ESPN and Chris Broussard have the update:
Now that Blake Griffin plays for L.A.'s other team, the Clippers have become a hot destination franchise. Stacked with young talent, they could offer any combination of Eric Gordon, Mo Williams, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Aminu.
But while the Clippers like Paul, sources say they like Dwight Howard even more. The Clippers have made it clear to executives throughout the league that they will do whatever it takes -- outside of trading Griffin -- to get Howard, who will become a free agent at the same time as Paul, either this season or next summer. So they will not move the players they'll try to use to get Howard to New Orleans for Paul.
Be honest: the idea of some combination of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and/or Dwight Howard on the floor at the same time has to get Clippers fans ecstatic, doesn't it? They'd certainly have the star power to compete in the Western Conference.
As for what it would take to bring Paul or Howard to LA, as Broussard mentions, it would take an absolute ton to lure either of the teams to send their superstar to Staples Center. And with just about every team in the league interested, you can bet the asking price will be astronomical.
Still, though, it says a lot that the Clippers are willing to pursue these players and that both Paul and Howard have interest in playing alongside Griffin. It's going to be an interesting month of December, folks. Strap in and prepare for madness.