The Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers have been pulled into talks between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers that could ultimately put Dwight Howard in a Lakers uniform, Yahoo! Sports is reporting.

Talks have taken place this week and have "grown serious," Yahoo! said, citing league sources, although a trade is not considered imminent.

The moving parts of the four-team discussion, according to Yahoo!, would involve Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol being dealt by the Lakers

According to the website's sources, Howard and Nuggets forward Al Harrington would go to the Lakers; 76ers guard Andre Iguodala would be moved to Denver; Bynum would be dealt to Philadelphia; and Gasol and Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo would go to Orlando.

The proposed scenario also includes the Magic receiving draft picks and salary-cap relief, the sources told Yahoo.

A source familiar with the discussions characterized the proposed trade as a "rehashed rumor" to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin.

Near the end of July, Howard met with Magic general manager Rob Hennigan and reiterated that he still wants to be traded, and if he isn't will leave the team as a free agent after next season.

The Lakers' position on Howard has remained relatively unchanged for the past few months, league sources familiar with the situation have told ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers always have been willing to trade for Howard without assurances he'd re-sign with them after the season, believing that once Howard experienced a championship culture he would want to stay.

Iggy don't wanna go to no Denver.

I think I would rather have Bynum and Gasol than Howard and Harrington.

Agreed.

The Lakers would be fools to trade Bynum and Gasol for the right to get Howard. Philadelphia would be extremely happy.

Philly and Denver would get better. Not sure what that does for Orlando. They tread water I guess as a .500 team. Maybe worse, without much chance to get better during the next three years. Ties up Denver's cap flexibility a bit. Lakers get worse unless they get 100% motivated, rejuvenated Dwight. I'm not sure that guy will ever exist.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

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Report: Four-team deal sending Howard to Lakers finalized, awaits league approval

Kurt Helin

Finally, Dwight Howard is being traded.

A complex four-team trade that sends Dwight Howard to the Lakers and Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets and involves the 76ers and Magic approved in principle and will go to the league for formal approval on Friday, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.

Sources close to the process told Stein and ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne that a trade call with the league office has been scheduled for Friday to secure the necessary NBA approval to make the deal official.

The deal means the Lakers get Howard; the Magic get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, just drafted Moe Harkless (No. 15 pick in this draft) and a first round pick from each of the three other teams; the Sixers get Andrew Bynum and take on Jason Richardson and his contract; the Nuggets get Andre Iguodala.

That varies from the original report but fits with reports that Pau Gasol is not part of the deal. Expect some changes in the final form, but that seems to be the core of it.

This makes a lot of sense for the Lakers — they would start Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Antwan Jamison (probably), Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and off the bench… does it matter? They would move up with the Heat as title contenders, and we can debate it but I think it moves them just past the Thunder.

However, Howard will not sign an extension with the Lakers. He shouldn’t, if he does he only gets three years at lower raises than if he becomes a free agent and re-signs with the Lakers. That would let him get a five year max deal with larger raises. Still, there is some risk for the Lakers.

Also, there is concern about Howard’s back — he had surgery on it and is rehabbing it in Los Angeles. That said he does not have a history of injury concerns (like Bynum), before last season he had never missed more than three games.

I get this for the Nuggets, who have wanted Iguodala for a while.

I get this for the Sixers, who get an anchor big in Bynum — and they are reportedly willing to gamble they can re-sign him. Philly athletes will tell you that if the fans in the city respect you and your effort it is the best place in the world to play… Bynum lived up to that last season, but before not so much. Bynum also grew up in New Jersey about an hour from Philly. Bynum is very money motivated and the extra cash the Sixers can offer with his Bird rights will play a big role. Also, Richardson’s deal is less painful than Iggy’s.

For the Magic, is this really better than what they were offered before? Afflalo is a quality NBA wing, Vucevic is young and could develop into a solid big, Harrington can be bought out after this season, Harkless is a rookie. There are three picks but all are lower in the draft.

Is that better than what the Nets offered with Brook Lopez and picks? Is it better than the picks and cap relief the Rockets are offering?

Or, is it something you can at least sell to your fan base as good? That may be the case.

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Kobe will be ready to rip Howards head off in a few weeks.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

They're still not as good as Oklahoma City.

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I've got a new team to hate.

Sports hate is awesome.

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I like Kobe. I like Nash. I hope Howard's legs fall off.

Looks like I have to jump on the Grobstein Lakers Hate Bandwagon for the duration.

Heat/Lakers finals? I hope it goes seven games, into three overtimes, then at the start of the fourth overtime the arena collapses and falls into the center of the earth taking everyone with it.

Don't tell me for a second that you didn't try picturing that and smiled ever so slightly.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

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As a longtime Magic fan, I say they will be fighting it out with the Charlotte Bobcats to see who gets the most ping-pong balls for the next NBA Lottery.

It's the second time the Lakers have fleeced the Magic for their top center.

Let's go Team "Anyone but the Heat"!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Can't wait for some dope to declare the Lakers will win 70 games.

The talent is there to beat anyone in the league. It'll be interesting to see Kobe's role, and how all the players mesh. Nash should keep most of the guys happy and in line, but I still expect Mike Brown to derail their title hopes at some point.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Just need to swap Phil in for Mike Brown.

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That meshing part is the key. You can put these superteams together all you want, but Mike Brown ain't leading anybody to a title. Say what you want about Erik Spoelstra (weird as he may be), but he's a good coach and he kept everybody on the same page when they could've unraveled seveal times.. Mike Brown isn't capable of that.

Plus Kobe is 34. Plus Nash is 38. Plus Pau Gasol is a pussy with whom I expect Dwight to be catfighting by midseason.

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Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I don't completely agree with that statement. He got to the finals with a team that consited of just LeBron James. I could easily see him accidently winning with a "super team". Moderate coaches can win a title with ridiculous talent...

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Health and how Kobe and Pau get along with Dwight will be the biggest factors in whether they win a title.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

But they could win a title even though Mike Brown is the suck...

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This is my signature...

Yeah he is definitely the suck, but that much talent could win in spite of him sucking.

But this thing has the potential to be a real clusterfuck.

Kobe hates and has no respect for Brown.

Pau and Howard can both be HUGE babies. Will they try to out baby each other?

Kobe may want to kill everyone on the team by December

Is Meta still around?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I'm declaring this team Western Conference Champs already. (If healthy)

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This is my signature...

Thats worst case scenario.

Most likely they will struggle a bit til new year, find their groove in around the trade deadline where they might add a James Posey type to solidify the rotation, and battle it out with the Thunder in the WCF. I don't like Mike Brown either but Nash will improve their offense and their defense was already great, it'll be better now. Mike Brown can coach defense.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Wait, OKC- did you just claim Spoelstra was a good coach and kept them together ?

(Indiana series)

Wade: Man, fuck Spoelstra. Him or I are gone after this season. Can't play for that idiot.
Bron: Don't trip, I got this. Just cool off for a second

(Bron shits on errrbody for the next month straight)

Kid: Good job by Spoelstra keeping the team together.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

The Nets one I think would've been the best one.

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Rockets.

Nets first round picks, even four, would've meant next to nothing.

[/rome]Eddy Curry thinks Brook Lopez is a bad rebounder[rome]. Could be wrong but I don't think Brook Lopez will ever be really good or great. And considering the max extension he would've signed, I think that traps Orlando in hell.

Lots of assets and picks from Houston would've been the way to go. No chance Howard stays in Houston so there's a great chance one or two of those turns into a lottery pick. And those assets could develop or be packaged to a team looking to unload an unhappy superstar themselves. Orlando is usually a pretty inviting place for players.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

i agree the Houston deal was the best

i don't get this one at all. really they don't achieve much at all. some decent to mediocre picks, no real actual talent and not a whole lot of cap savings