Lakers Trade Rumors: Andrew Bynum On His Way To The Cavaliers Or Rockets?

The Los Angeles Lakers have had an outstanding offseason in 2012, with the new additions of two-time MVP Steve Nash and most recently, veteran power forward Antawn Jamison.

At age 36, Jamison played with the Cleveland Cavaliers this past season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.

These two acquisitions give the Lakers two more offensive threats, but also makes Los Angeles an even more appealing landing spot for the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard.

Howard, who was originally against the idea of becoming a Laker, seemingly changed his mind and has reportedly mentioned that he would sign a long term contract extension with L.A. after this upcoming season. Now that Howard is on board, Los Angeles and the Orlando Magic have a strong incentive to work out a deal. Although, skepticism still looms around the deal because of the NBA's second best center, Andrew Bynum.

Nearly every trade possibility involves moving Bynum out of Los Angeles. The biggest concern revolves around the fact that Bynum will not sign an extension after the 2012-13 season if traded to Orlando. The Magic are also trying to dump the burdening contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson, a very pricey catch for Lakers.

Due to these potential complexities, Orlando and Los Angeles have garnered interest from both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets to help assist in the form of a three team trade. Such a trade has the potential to send Howard to the Lakers, Bynum to either Cleveland or Houston, and some attractive future first round picks to the Magic.

Los Angeles might want to think twice about sending Bynum to Houston. The Rockets are a young team in the midst of the rebuilding process, but have fresh talent and financial flexibility to make the playoffs sometime in the next five years. Giving Bynum up to a team in the same conference is a move that could come back to bite the Lakers in the near future.

Also, Howard is not actually Superman. The 27 year old center just endured season ending back surgery, which could potentially hinder his explosive athleticism. Bynum is two years younger than Howard and proved to critics that he is a major offensive and defensive threat, with even more potential to improve.

Howard relies on his athleticism much more than Bynum, allowing for many back to the basket points, dunks, and alley oops that make up the majority of his scoring. On the contrast, Bynum has developed a consistent touch around the hoop and a more refined offensive game than Howard.