Prior to Dwight Howard landing in Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, the summer of 2012 had him potentially going to play for every team from Atlanta to San Antonio. One team that seemed like a valid option was the Brooklyn Nets. Both parties expressed interest, but the deal was never made, sending Howard on his way to the west coast. Now that his future in Los Angeles can be considered doubtful, Howard believes he will some how end up back in Brooklyn.
ESPN's Steven A. Smith reports that Howard informed him that he believes he will get traded to the Nets at some point. Smith said that Howard had a conversation with Rudy Gay, saying Gay messed up by going to Toronto. He should have held out and then the two could have played together in Brooklyn.
Smith exposed details of last year's trade that makes Howard look unreliable. While Howard's agent was trying to push for the center to go to Brooklyn, Howard allegedly went behind his back and opted to stay with the Magic for the remainder of the season. Eventually, Brooklyn lost interest and Howard went to the Lakers.
The Nets are insisting they are no longer interested in Howard and are very pleased with their own big man, Brook Lopez. They have held private meetings to make sure Lopez knows he will not be traded. If the Nets were to try and put a trade together to bring Howard to New York, it could get messy. They do not have enough to pursade the Lakers on their own, a third or fourth team would have to get involved. If the Lakers do intend on getting rid of Howard, they will certainly ask for a lot.
These kind of rumors are not unexpected. Howard had said prior to going to the Lakers that the Nets were his preferred team. His struggle with the Lakers has been well-documented, leading many to believe Howard could head elsewhere, somethng the Lakers are denying will happen. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and that is when a trade could essentially happen. If a trade were to happen with Brooklyn before the Feb. 21 deadline, a large number of players and teams would be involved, but crazier things have happened.
