CP3, Dwight Howard teammates?

[bankybruce]

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have been in consistent contact recently about the possibility of becoming teammates next season, according to league sources.

Paul and Howard will be the biggest free agents on the market this summer and their desire is to play together, the sources said.

The Clippers would be open to working out a deal, but they fear the Lakers would never trade Howard to them, according to the sources.

But while trading Howard to a team in their own building seems unthinkable, the Lakers are not likely to get a better trade package elsewhere than say, Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/...ul-dwight-howard-hoping-play-together-sources

If I were the Lakers, I would trade Howard for Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe in a second. Those players are much better suited for Coach D than Howard is.

 

[Chaplin]

Please consider the source -- this report came from LA fanboy Chris Broussard.

 

[elindholm]

If Paul and Howard want to team up, it makes more sense to do it as Lakers than as Clippers.

 

[TJ]

Financially, how can the Lakers make that work?

Kobe will make $30.4 mil, Pau will make 19.4 mil, Metta at $7.7 mil (if he uses his player option), and Nash at $9.3 mil. Signing Dwight and CP3 would cost roughly $20 mil each the first year. The luxury tax threshold is going to be $71.6 mil. If they are $10-$15 mil over, they pay $2.50 on the dollar and $3.25 if they're > $15mil.

In short, they have to make some serious cuts/trades to make that work.

 

[elindholm]

Financially, how can the Lakers make that work?

In short, they have to make some serious cuts/trades to make that work.

The Clippers would have to make trades too. Neither team can pair the players without getting help from the other. I'd guess that Paul has more leverage with the Clippers than Howard has with the Lakers, which is why it's slightly more likely that Paul will be able to strong-arm a trade. But I don't think either will happen.

The Lakers don't care about the luxury tax.

 

[overseascardfan]

Dark horse candidate is ATL. Howard is from there, his buddy Josh Smith is / was there (might help to re-sign him). The only hold up is that Paul isn't in love with the idea of playing there.

You can't sleep on Cuban though, he has always wanted Dwight and now that he can't have Deron Williams he may try and entice Paul to play in DAL.

I laugh about how it was Paul at Carmelo's wedding who made a toast about how he, Carmelo & Amare might form their own super team to rival MIA's.

From what Broussard says, both Howard & Paul like playing in LA, but who wouldn't, duh.

 

[TJ]

The Lakers don't care about the luxury tax.

According to multiple sites (because I'm too lazy to do the math), the estimated luxury tax alone would be $85 million if they maintain the status quo. Before the season, Jim Buss said that the team's profits were taking a hit.

In short, they may care more about the talent they produce, but the team is also saying they're concerned about the bottom line.

 

[elindholm]

the team is also saying they're concerned about the bottom line.

I haven't read that. Saying that the team's profits are taking a hit is a mathematical fact, not an expression of concern. I've read no indication whatsoever that the Lakers are going to make cost-cutting moves (or even cost-managing moves) during what's left of the Bryant era, and once his $30 million salary is off the books, the budgeting will take care of itself.

 

[TJ]

I haven't read that. Saying that the team's profits are taking a hit is a mathematical fact, not an expression of concern. I've read no indication whatsoever that the Lakers are going to make cost-cutting moves (or even cost-managing moves) during what's left of the Bryant era, and once his $30 million salary is off the books, the budgeting will take care of itself.

Right. However, the luxury tax would hinder any attempts to improve upon the current roster without making some difficult decisions. One of Pau Gasol or Dwight ought to go for financial purposes (in D12's case, let him walk or sign-and-trade). Perhaps they could also convince Nash to retire and/or amnesty Ron Artest. The one move they could make to take care of this situation all together would be to amnesty Kobe and his $30 mil salary, but that's obviously not going to happen.

I guess if Buss is satisfied with paying $85 mil in dead money, then this is all a moot point.

Either way, with the current structure of their roster including the coach, I don't think they are a legit title contender.