Remember a long time ago at the beginning of this whole Dwight Howard saga when he started to call out asking for trades? This was one particular demand that he asked out of the Orlando Magic front office.
Dwight Howard asked the Magic to pursue Steve Nash in February. With Nash, will Howard give the Lakers a long-term commitment? We'll see.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 5, 2012
It never really materialized, and eventually Howard started asking for trades, and now it looks as if that situation has long since disintegrated. Now, suddenly, that little piece of information could be the key to ensuring that Howard would agree to a contract extension if he gets dealt to the Lakers.
If Howard wanted Nash as a prerequisite to agreeing to stay in Orlando, then how would it be any different for coming to Los Angeles? A point guard who has distributed the basketball fairly strongly in his career could be a marked improvement over the center hoping the usage-heavy Kobe Bryant gets him the basketball at some point during the game.
Could the Nash trade force the Lakers and Magic to commit to the Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard deal that's been dangling out there for months? It'll all depend on how willing Howard is to take on Los Angeles as the second fiddle to Bryant offensively, a role he has seemed disinclined to taking on as he approaches his natural basketball prime.
Talk about Howard trade rumors with Lakers fans at Silver Screen and Roll, and with Magic fans at Orlando Pinstriped Post.
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