By Anthony Caruso III
Posted: August 9th, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST
Dwight Howard has gotten his wish.
But this time, he is just another fiddle in the Los Angeles Lakers circus. And he won’t have control over personnel decisions or in the locker room, as Kobe Bryant does.
Dwight Howard (Getty Images)
Howard was traded to the Lakers after months of trying to talk his away out of Orlando. It took a four-team deal to ship him packing, which still needs the approval of the NBA office, which is expected to come Friday morning.
In exchange for Howard, the Magic will receive forward Al Harrington, guard Aaron Afflalo, center Nikola Vucevic, and 2012 first round pick Moe Harkless. They also receive first round picks from the Sixers, Lakers, and Nuggets.
The Nuggets received forward Andre Iguodala. And the Sixers receive guard Jason Richardson and center Andrew Bynum.
Howard has caused plenty of burnt bridges in the past two years with the Magic. Now, he is going to a team, where the starting lineup will contain Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash with anybody being able to play small forward.
Howard and Bynum are entering the final years of their contracts. Howard is due $19.26 million, while Bynum will make $16.47 million. And currently, there are no guarantees that either will sign an extension with their new teams.
Howard averaged 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds. Bynum averaged a career-high 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds.
Iggy averaged 12.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while Richardson averaged 11.6 points for the Magic. Afflalo averaged 15.2 points after signing a five-year, $43 million contract prior to the season.
Harrington averaged 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds. Vucevic averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in his rookie year.
