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Brooklyn Nets Rumors: Could Dwight Howard Be A Trade Target?

By Kenneth Teape

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Brooklyn Nets Rumors: Could the Nets get in the running to trade for supposedly disgruntled Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard? Don’t count on it.

It is no secret that the Brooklyn Nets are in a tough spot. They do not have many building blocks or assets currently on the roster. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, at least it is not close as the Nets do not have their own first round draft pick until 2019 or their own second round pick until 2020.

The Nets were put into that hole because of a trade with the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2013 that netted them Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. They were in win now mode, and thought that trade would push them over the hump into title contention. That is not how it went at all, as the Nets are now in arguably the worst position of any team in the NBA, and have all they have to show from that trade is one playoff series victory.

Billy King and the Nets are now scrambling for a way to get the franchise back on track. They are probably weary of making another blockbuster type trade, seeing how the last one they made turned out. But, could they be in line to make another blockbuster trade to try and turn around the fortunes of the franchise?

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Last week, Chris Sheridan reported that Dwight Howard is unhappy being with the Houston Rockets. He is supposedly unhappy being behind James Harden in the pecking order, as everything in Houston revolves around the ball-dominating Harden. This is something that Howard is unhappy about, and a trade of the disgruntled center could be in the works.

Howard denied the report by Sheridan, going as far as calling him a liar. That is something Sheridan would later address, backing up his sources and not coming off his stance of Howard being unhappy at all.

With Howard looking like he could be on the move, there are rumors beginning to swirl around the center. Could the Nets be one of the teams to get in on the trade talks and try acquire the eight-time All-Star?

Chris Crouse at HoopsRumors.com thinks it is something that could work. Crouse provides a hypothetical trade that could really benefit both teams. He proposes that the Rockets trade Howard, underperforming point guard Ty Lawson and swingman Corey Brewer to the Nets for Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.

It would be tough to imagine the Nets moving Lopez after giving him a huge contract extension this offseason, but if they want to shake things up there aren’t many other ways for them to go about it. The fact Howard also has a player option for next season could scare the Nets away, as they could be trading their franchise cornerstone in Lopez for only a couple of months of Howard, something that would land a lot of people on the firing line.

While a trade for Howard sounds good for the Nets in theory, as they could also try and get Lawson’s career back on track, there is an argument to be made that Lopez is the better player than Howard. This is something the Rockets would probably sign up for in a heartbeat, as they would receive two players in Lopez and Johnson that can help take some offensive pressure off James Harden, while getting rid of two players that have been headaches to a degree in Lawson and Howard.

Lopez is younger and a better fit for the Rockets than Howard is, as he is lower maintenance and would not cause as many headaches. Johnson would bring veteran experience on the wing that the Rockets could really use. The Rockets would come away happy with this deal, but the same cannot be said for the Nets.

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The Nets trading Lopez this quickly for a players with questions such as Howard and Lawson would be hard to imagine. But you never know what a desperate person and team will do, as Billy King and the Nets probably fall under that category. It would be a bold move to get some attention back on the Nets, but it could quickly blow up in their faces, leaving them in a hole yet again from a big time trade.

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