Photo: Reuters - Jessica Rinaldi
- Adam Parker
Shh! Don't tell anyone, but the Dwight Howard-to-Brooklyn deal apparently isn't dead.
Don't count your chickens until they've hatched.
The same adage fits perfectly with the continuation of the long-running Dwight Howard saga this summer.
As early as yesterday, after agreeing to acquire Atlanta Hawks star Joe Johnson (who now holds the title for most undesirable contract in the NBA), the Brooklyn Nets were thought to be out of the running for Superman 2.0's services.
But maybe not.
According to league sources, Dwight still might end up in Brooklyn after all.
Here's how the potential trade the two teams are discussing breaks down:
The Magic would send the disgruntled Howard to the Nets in return for Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries (both via sign-and-trade), promising young shooting guard Marshon Brooks and the Nets' first-round picks in 2013, 2015 and 2017, sources said.
Whoa.
The Nets mean business. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov appears serious about starting off the Brooklyn era in the new Barclays Center with a bang, and has clearly given his front office the green light to do whatever is necessary to make this move to Brooklyn one to remember.
Just imagine it.
A big three of Deron Williams (should he choose to re-sign), Johnson and Howard would give Brooklyn a trio that rivals those guys down in Miami. If you recall, Miami took rode their big three thoroughbreds all the way to an NBA title this past season.
But the Nets are taking it one step further, as they also already have have Gerald Wallace in the fold (for a ridiculous four years and $40 million I might add) to create their "Big Four" should Howard and Williams end up there.
NBA Finals berth at the minimum with this group? Well, if they were in the West, it'd be a no-brainer. But as it stands, they'll still have the big dogs down in Miami standing in their way, who will undoubtedly be just as hungry to defend their title as they were in pursuit of one.
No, I think the most likely scenario, barring something crazy, is at least an Eastern Conference Finals berth -- likely against those same Heat that they're looking to emulate.
If this deal is consummated, not only would the Nets be overjoyed, but Howard will get what he's been hounding after for the past seven months. The saga of DH12 could be coming to an end, everyone.
We know, you're crushed.
However, this could also be a whole lot of nothing and could merely be a smokescreen by Orlando to tell teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, who can offer young stud big man Andrew Bynum; the Hawks, who would likely build a potential deal for DH12 around All-Star Al Horford and young guard Jeff Teague, and the Dallas Mavericks, who can simply bide their time should no trade happen and swipe Howard up (who is set to be a free agent in 2013) next summer, luxury tax be damned.
Oh wouldn't Mark Cuban be absolutely giddy about that, especially if he can still land D-Will this summer. But with the moves the Nets are making, it's hard not to think that Williams might be leaning towards re-signing, considering their tireless efforts to essentially put a championship-caliber team around him in a matter of days.
Will the combined contracts of this proposed Big Four be a problem in the future when it comes to the luxury tax? Absolutely. But if "Moneybags" Mikhail [Prokhorov] has anything to say about it, I doubt having to shell out an unheard of amount of dough in order to win will be much of an issue at all. After all, we all know that Prokhorov, at least according to some people, is trying to become the next Cuban.
You know what that means, right? Winning takes precedence above all else, no matter what the cost. Congrats, Nets fans. You guys have yourselves a hell of an owner; and if you're lucky, you'll soon have a top-flight, star-studded roster to match.
