Orlando Mucks Up ‘Dwightmare’ To Lakers’ Delight
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By DERON SNYDER
Dwight Howard did himself no favors in dragging out his exit from Orlando. He turned off Magic fans and NBA fans everywherewith his wishy-washy ways, going back and forth in deciding whether to stay or go. He was one of the NBA’s most popular superstars entering last season, but vacillating followed by trade ultimatums transformed Howard from a lovable giant to a national “Dwightmare.”
But one team’s curse can be another team’s blessing, and the Los Angeles Lakers believe that will be the case with Howard in Hollywood. The Lakers joined forces with Philadelphia and Denver for a four-team deal that seems to benefit every team except Orlando.
How does that work? The Magic traded Howard, the best player in the deal, but failed to land either the second- (Andrew Bynum) or third-best player (Andre Iguodala) in return. Orlando got a bunch of middling and/or unproven players, plus five draft picks over five years.
“A primary goal for our basketball team is to achieve sustainability while maintaining a long-term vision. We feel this deal puts us in a position to begin building in that direction,” Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan said. “In addition to the six players joining our team, we will be in a position to maximize our salary-cap flexibility in the near future, as well as utilize the multiple draft picks we have acquired going forward.”
