Amidst the chatter of a Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin trade is the possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers doing a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets for Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. If the Rockets convinced the Lakers to sign-and-trade Howard, the Rockets would have enough cap room to sign Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul in free agency, ESPN reports.
Houston's name has gained more and more traction over the weeks as a legitimate contender for Howard. So much traction, in fact, that ESPN reported a Lakers source as calling Houston a "very real" threat to land Howard.
The Rockets have room to sign Howard when he becomes a free agent on July 1, but it'd be even more advantageous for the club if they can sway Los Angeles into a sign-and-trade deal beforehand. If Houston can trade Lin and Asik, who both have upside, then the team will still have enough cap space to pursue signing Paul.
Houston suddenly becomes more alluring for Howard and Paul, both of whom reportedly want to join forces, if the club can pitch signing both players. Acquiring both All-Stars creates a formidable Big Three as they join budding Rockets star James Harden.
As for the Lakers, 7-foot Asik is a solid defender who averaged a double-double last year. Even better, Asik wouldn't cost nearly as much as Howard would, which helps the Lakers as they try to get their finances in order before the "repeater" tax kicks in after the 2014-15 season. Pairing Lin with coach Mike D'Antoni, who Lin had his best season with in New York, could be a good, albeit somewhat expensive, backup option if Steve Nash was ever injured again.
The biggest holdup to the deal is that the Lakers are reportedly more inclined to free up cap space by letting Howard walk in free agency, if he decides to leave. Los Angeles is already tens of millions of dollars over the salary cap, and they face paying the luxury tax for the third straight season. While the Lakers want Howard to re-sign and are confident he will, they're hesitant to take on additional contracts by trading him if he does decide to play elsewhere.
It's first a matter of what Howard chooses. Although he's reported as wanting to explore free agency, there's no real indication he plans to leave the Lakers. If he does decide to go play with Paul, or even with friend and recently-turned free agent Monta Ellis, it then becomes a matter of the Lakers picking whichever option, be it players or salary cap space, best helps the team moving forward.
