Could all parties benefit from this? A Recap of the Dwight Howard Deal

Well, it finally happened.

After months of begging and pleading, Dwight Howard was granted his wish and traded from the Orlando Magic. After rumors swirled about him potentially being traded to the Nets, Hawks, and Mavericks, D12 finally ended up with the Lakers. 

Welcome to LA, Dwight!

At this point in the offseason, this trade came as a relative surprise.  A month or so ago, the Lakers were on the outside looking in regarding a trade for Howard, watching as the Brooklyn Nets tried to put together a package. However, there was concerns regarding the health of Brook Lopez, the Nets Center.  Also, it seemed like Brooklyn was hesitant to give up so much for a player that had the option of leaving after one season, and Orlando was hesitant to take on the contracts of Lopez and Kris Humphries, which would hamper their rebuilding process. Orlando mandated that the Nets take on the contract of either Jason Richardson or Hedo Turkoglu, something the Nets may have been unwilling to pay. 

Thus, talks with the Nets fell through.  The Lakers proceeded to acquire Steve Nash, who played nearly a decade for the rival Suns.  Nash is an ideal PG for a C that can run the pick and roll, aka Howard, and not Andrew Bynum.  However, it's still very surprising he ended up with the Lakers.  Guess it shows that rivalries aren't as meaningful as they used to be, even a decade ago.  Would you ever see Reggie Miller on the Knicks? David Robinson on the Rockets? Nash is the next of many aging superstars to try for one last shot at an elusive title with the Lakers, see Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Mitch Richmond, etc.  And frankly, it tilts me.  I would have loved to see him join the Knicks or Thunder, to compliment their strong scoring with great passing.

Anyways, this is the trade the Lakers were able to pull off for Howard, involving the Nuggets and 76ers in addition to the Magic (courtesy of ESPN)

Team	Receives in trade
Lakers	Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark
Nuggets	Andre Iguodala
76ers	Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson
Magic*	Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga
*- Magic also will receive a protected first-round pick from each of the other three teams and five overall draft picks

At first glance, it may seem that the Lakers are the biggest winner in this trade, as they just acquired a top-5 talent.  However, I think the 76ers benefited just as much.  They were able to trade Iguodala, Vucevic, Harkless, and a first rounder for arguably the 2nd best C in the league.  As great of an asset as Iguodala was to the 76ers, Bynum gives them a great young core with Holliday, Turner, and Young.  If they can sign Bynum to a long term deal, the 76ers should be contenders in the East for a long time.

The Nuggets might actually benefit the least from this deal.  Iguodala is a great piece, but they already have Wilson Chandler at SF.  It'll be tough to put Iguodala, Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari on the floor at the same time (could they play Iguodala at the 2?), but Iguodala gives them more offense and equivalent defense to what they lost in Afflalo.  Regardless, Iguodala is a better player then either Afflalo or Harrington, so this deal can't hurt them? Right?
 
Although at first glance it looks like the Magic weren't given much for Howard, I think they could actually benefit from this deal long term. They were able to shed the contracts of J-Rich, Duhon, and Earl Clark, and picked up some young pieces along with a great defender in Afflalo, and a scorer (albeit past his prime) in Al Harrington.  Plus with the additional draft picks, the Magic should be bad for a few seasons, thus putting together some elite talent via the draft.  The 2012-2013 Orlando Magic may lost 55-60 games, but they should be ok if they draft and develop their players well.

Finally, the Lakers.  How they were able to accomplish this deal without trading Pau Gasol is mindboggling, as Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga hardly matter.  I truly believe Howard gives the Los Angeles Lakers the best team in the NBA right now.  Think about how tough this starting 5 will be on both ends of the floor: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard.  Although Nash may struggle defensively, having the support of the best defensive big in the league never hurts.  The pick and roll with Howard and Nash will be lethal, and should result in many open shots for MWP and Gasol.  Plus, add Antawn Jamison, Jordan Hill, and Steve Blake off the bench? You've got yourself quite the squad.

Good luck to the Thunder and Heat trying to match up against the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Lakers, cuz they're going BIG