Dwight trade to L.A. sets up Opening Night matchup vs. Mavs
Earl K. Sneed writes that Friday's four-team, 12-player trade that sent big man Dwight Howard to Los Angeles sets up a highly-anticipated matchup on Opening Night.
Dwight trade to L.A. sets up Opening Night matchup vs. Mavs
The NBA landscape has changed as we know it.
Just a day after Mavs.com took a look at where the new-look Dallas Mavericks stack up in the Western Conference heading into this upcoming season, a four-team, 12-player trade sending three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-NBA First Team center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers completely rocked the entire league.
In addition to the end of the season-long saga and Howard’s much-awaited departure from Orlando after eight seasons with the Magic, the Lakers also acquired big man Earl Clark and point guard Chris Duhon, who will backup two-time MVP Steve Nash.
More importantly for the Lakers and more damaging for the rest of the West, L.A. was able to acquire Howard without losing both of their coveted big men, sending All-Star center Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia but retaining Pau Gasol.
Denver and Philly completed the deal, with Orlando receiving guard Arron Afflalo and forward Al Harrington from the Nuggets, forward Moe Harkless and center Nikola Vucevic from the 76ers, and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers, in addition to a bevy of conditional draft picks.
The Nuggets were also big winners in the deal, landing All-Star and Olympian Andre Iguodala from the Sixers, while Philly landed Jason Richardson from the Magic.
But it’s the Lakers that now have become even more of a threat in the ever-changing West. And with plenty of changes in place for both the Mavs and Lakers since Dallas’ second-round series sweep of L.A. en route to the 2011 title, there’s no doubt that both have aspirations of returning to the Finals.
Fortunately, the two franchises will have a chance to show off their newcomers against each other to begin the season, facing off in a head-to-head matchup on Opening Night Oct. 30 in a showdown that will air nationally on TNT at 9:30 p.m. CT.
