Report: Lakers to Target Dwight Howard and Chris Paul


One of the reasons we just went through that painful lockout, was the claim by small-market team owners that they’re sick and tired of teams like the Lakers gobbling up all of the major talent in the NBA. Well, um, …. From Sheridan Hoops: “It’s not hard to tell who won this war–the owners, especially the big ones. Nor is it hard to tell which of them won the most: That was Jerry Buss, the biggest of all. When the NBA couldn’t get a full ban on sign-and-trades, it left his Lakers in position to pull off a coup they’re dreaming of, which would make signing LeBron James pale by comparison. If Dwight Howard and Chris Paul wind up on the market — a safe assumption as far as I’m concerned — the Lakers could offer Andrew Bynum for Dwight and Pau Gasol for CP3, or vice versa. Nothing says that they will be enough to land either player, but it should put the Lakers in the running for both. (Oh, and Dwight likes the Lakers. Asked which All-Star he would most like to play with last season, he answered ‘Kobe Bryant.’) Nor will finances be a problem, ever again. … Next season, the Lakers start their 20-year, $3 billion deal with Time Warner, which will take them from their annual $30 million from Fox Sports West to $150 million. On paper, that would put the Lakers, who now average a profit of $45-60 million, zooming past $150 million. In fact, an informed source projects an even higher figure, in the $170 million range. (To put that in perspective, Forbes said the Knicks made a league-leading $64 million profit in 2009-10. The Lakers will more than double that.) In either case, Jerry, Jim and Jeannie Buss are going to have a lot to say about what happens in this league for a long time …”