If the Dwight Howard trade comes down in the next 24 to 48 hours it is because of this — everybody had to move on with their “Plan B” if Howard wasn’t coming.
Nowhere is that more evident than Brooklyn.
The Nets have been Howard’s preferred destination and the franchise has spent the better part of a year trying to come up with deals to land him. The most recent was maybe the closest — a four-team deal that had 11 players plus four picks flying around. But that deal collapsed under its own weight when Cleveland pulled out.
Now the Nets face a choice, is it time to move on? Is it time to say Brook Lopez is their guy? Stephen Bondy laid it out at the New York Daily News.If Lopez re-signs with the Nets and doesn’t agree to a sign and trade, it would kill any deal for Howard until at least Dec. 15 (when players can be traded after signing contracts in the offseason), or maybe forever (if Howard is dealt elsewhere).
So as the clock ticks on this never-ending saga — and while separate trade proposals involving the Rockets and Lakers were gaining traction — the Magic was being forced to take a harder look at their 7-foot question: is Lopez, a strong offensive player with a limited presence in the paint, worth taking the leap for?
Not at the max deal reportedly being discussed, if you ask me. Lopez can score around the basket and has a nice midrange touch — his offensive game has never been in question. But he doesn’t rebound well for his position and is not a shot-blocking help defender like the Nets need. He’s good, he’s just not a max guy, to me.
But the Nets are reportedly working to get insurance (Lopez missed much of last season with a foot issue) on a max deal. Once that offer goes on the table and he signs it, it may forever kill the Dwight Howard plan.