It has been no secret that the Lakers have been trying hard to orchestrate a trade that will land them Howard. Any trade that will accomplish that will undoubtedly have to involve Bynum. However, this trade may no longer be much of a possibility.
ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that, according to league sources, the "Magic have told rival executives that they might not trade Dwight Howard after all."
With Howard's availability slipping away, the Lakers will undoubtedly turn their attention to locking up the center position by extending Bynum's contract, which would keep him from hitting the free-agent market at the end of the season.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne back up that notion.
If a Howard trade isn't feasible, the Lakers would quickly turn their attention to resuming extension talks with Bynum.
They also go on to highlight what it would take to extend Bynum.
[The Lakers are] well aware that there will not be much wiggle room once the negotiations begin; Bynum will expect a max contract extension.
You can't blame Bymum for these expectations. As one of the league's premier centers, he should have no problem finding several teams that will offer him a max deal. However, that doesn't make it a wise move for L.A.
Yes, Bynum is coming off of an impressive season where he averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Even more impressive was the good health he enjoyed. Prior to last year, Bynum had missed at least 17 regular season games in every season since his second year in the league in 2006-07.
Still, one heal...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
