The Dwight Howard trade, a year later

With the Celtics playing Orlando twice in the next few days (with a side trip to Miami in between), I thought it would be interesting to look at the blockbuster Dwight Howard trade a year later.

The trade happened in August 2012 and involved four teams: Orlando, the Lakers, Denver, and Philly.


Lakers

Received: Howard, Earl Clark, Chris Duhon

Traded away: Andrew Bynum, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, 2017 first-round pick

Initial take: The Lakers have done it again! How did they pull this off?!? Start planning the parade!

One year later, the good: Got rid of Bynum before he imploded. Were able to test-drive Howard and find out that he's a bad fit and can't handle the bright lights without wasting a multi-year max contract on him. Got a nice surprise in Earl Clark, who was a throw-in to the deal.

One year later, the bad: The drama. 2012-13 was one of the most disappointing seasons in sports history. No one from the deal is still on the roster. Another first-round pick gone *poof*.


Denver

Received: Andre Iguodala

Traded away: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, 2013 second-round pick, 2014 first-round pick

Initial take: Second-biggest winners after the Lakers. Nicely done.

One year later, the good: Had a very good 2012-13 regular season and were the third seed in the West.

One year later, the bad: Ousted in the first round by the upstart Warriors. Iguodala is gone and now plays for those same upstart Warriors. George Karl is gone. May still a playoff team but nowhere near what they were a year ago. One of two first-round picks in the promising 2014 draft is gone. Their prospects are worse than before the trade.


Philly

Received: Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson

Traded away: Andre Iguodala, Maurice Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, a future first-round pick

Initial take: Risky based on Bynum's injury history, but he could be the missing piece to turn a young, upcoming playoff team into a contender.

One year later, the good: Were able to test-drive (test-sit?) Bynum and find out that he's a mirage without wasting a big multi-year contract on him.

One year later, the bad: Bynum sucked millions in payroll, gave them literally nothing on the court, and acted like an idiot off the court. Not only did they not get the impact center they wanted in Bynum, they've had to watch a guy they traded away, Vucevic, blossom into an impact center in Orlando. They technically still have a player from the deal on the roster -- Richardson -- but he's broken down, coming off major knee surgery, and may never play again. They have some nice young players, but there's no getting around the fact that this was a disaster for them.


Orlando

Received: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, Maurice Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, Denver's 2013 second-round pick (became Romero Osby), Denver's 2014 first-round pick, Lakers' 2017 first-round pick, a future first-round pick from Philly

Traded away: Howard, Earl Clark, Chris Duhon, Jason Richardson

Initial take: Maybe it was better than Howard walking away as a free agent and Orlando getting nothing, but their GM should be fired for trading him an only getting everyone else's castoffs. They're the loser in this deal, and it's not even close.

One year later, the good: They're not a great team, but they're the only ones with players from the deal still playing for them. Afflalo is pretty good, Vucevic was a steal, and Harkless starts. The soul-sucking "Dwightmare" (remember that?) has faded into the past. They got three first-round picks and second-round pick. The GM was a genius. They're the winner in this deal, and it's not even close.

One year later, the bad: I'm thinking...


I don't remember anyone in the media saying it was a good deal for Orlando. We have a bunch of smart, knowledgeable people here who got it wrong (I know I did):

https://samcelt.forumotion.net/t3717-lakers-magic-in-blockbuster-four-team-trade-talks-to-send-dwight-howard-to-la

What a difference a year makes.

Remember Orlando's other trade when they dismantled the team during a slump?

Maybe they just have crappy management.


KJ

k_j_88 wrote:Remember Orlando's other trade when they dismantled the team during a slump?

Maybe they just have crappy management.

I think you missed the point of my post -- despite initial impressions of the Howard trade, Orlando actually came out way ahead. It was a great trade for them.

Outside,

The Howard trade itself was good for them because it set them up better to become competitive within a few years and not have to deal with Howard's fickle tendencies.

But the trade from a few years back took Orlando out of serious contention and did nothing to improve their salary cap situation (in fact, they had taken on more $$ back then I believe).



KJ