Report: Sixers Involved in Talks for Blockbuster Four-Team Dwight Howard Trade

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OHHMMAAAGODDDDDWEREGETTINGDWIGHTHOWARD.

We’re not.

Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarakaowjwskdsowhskski reports that the Sixers, Lakers, Magic and Nuggets are involved in talks for a blockbuster four-team trade that would land the Sixers Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol and send Andre Iguodala to Denver. Yes, please: [Yahoo!]

There are multiple moving parts in the fluid talks, but the framework of a possible deal includes Howard and Denver forward Al Harrington going to the Lakers, Philadelphia guard Andre Iguodala going to the Nuggets, Los Angeles center Andrew Bynum moving to the 76ers, and Los Angeles forward Pau Gasol and Denver guard Arron Affalo going to the Magic, sources told Yahoo! Sports. 

 

He goes on to say that Bynum or Gasol could be the player who goes to the Sixers.

That’s great. Really, it is. But it’s hard to get too excited. The key player in the deal, Howard, would be going elsewhere, making someone else a title contender. 

Lately, we’ve gotten used to the Phillies (pre-end of days days), Eagles and Flyers going after big-time, big-name players in their respective quests for a championship (none have paid off– the Phillies’ spending has come in the Amaro years… and, well, they’ve gone backwards each year). The Sixers, however, still play the patsy, a means to an end, for other teams. Bynum and Gasol are fine players, both undoubtedly better than Iguodala (trust me, I’d applaud the trade), but it’s swapping a Robin for a Robin. Admittedly, the Sixers would be trading Chris O’Donnell’s Robin for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s. But they’d still be getting the Robin to Howard’s, um, Superman.

The last eight teams to win championships have had either LeBron, Dirk, Kobe, Celtics trio, or Duncan. Winning teams need stars. And while it was a long shot that Howard was going to wind up in Philly, it’s hard to get too excited when the Sixers play a mere supporting role in helping another team (Lakers) land the all-around best player in the deal.

Still, getting Bynum would be a good thing.

Bill Simmons, whose basketball trade value list is my go-to for NBA player rankings, had Bynum at 21 this past year, up from 38 in 2011.

Here’s what Simmons wrote in each of those years:

2011:

It's straight DNA: Some dudes are structurally built for 82-game NBA seasons, others aren't. So if you make the argument "If Bynum can stay healthy, he's a franchise center," just make sure you also mention that we have 35 years of evidence that there's a tipping point when "If he can stay healthy …" becomes "… he's not going to stay healthy." We're there with Andrew Bynum. He's not going to stay healthy. If I were the Lakers, I would trade him right now.

 

2012:

Has there ever been a better "We'd be selling high if we traded him right now" example? From 2007 through 2011, Bynum played 35, 50, 65 and 54 games. Miraculously, he's played 35 consecutive games this season … in a lockout-shortened season, no less! We keep hearing that Jimmy Dolan 2.0 (a.k.a. Jimmy Buss)3 won't trade Bynum because that's his guy, but man, wouldn't it make sense to flip a healthy-right-now-at-this-moment Bynum for a point guard and/or multiple pieces for one last three-year run behind Kobe and Gasol? What am I missing? Could you get Lowry, Chase Budinger and Luis Scola for him? What about Nash and Gortat? What about Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert? What about Josh Smith, Zaza Pachulia and Jeff Teague? What about Elton Brand, Nik Vucevic and Evan Turner for Bynum and cap fodder? What about … ?

 

Besides the prophetic Sixers drop, Simmons makes it clear that it’s all about staying healthy for Bynum, which he did this year. [As a comparison, Howard finished at number six on Simmons' list.] 

Bynum would be a great stopgap for the Sixers. He’s only 24 and has one year left on his deal, which pays him about $16 million, just a little over a million more than Iggy. He would give the Sixers a legitimate big-man upgrade (over Elton Brand) and moving Iguodala would meaning getting rid of one of their 22 rawly athletic swingmen. If Bynum proves to be someone the Sixers want to build around, they would presumably get first crack at extending him long-term. If not, they would take a step forward next year and still have cap room to sign players as part of next summer’s outstanding free agent group.

It’s a great proposed trade, and I’d LOVE to see Andre Iguodala go elsewhere. Really– somewhere, anywhere. But the Sixers still wouldn’t be getting their superstar.

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Kyle Scott
Kyle Scott
Kyle Scott is the founder and editor of CrossingBroad.com. He has written for CBS Philly and Philly Voice, and been a panelist or contributor on NBC Sports Philly, FOX 29 and SNY TV, as well as a recurring guest on 97.5 The Fanatic, 94 WIP, 106.7 The Fan and other stations. He has more than 10 years experience running digital media properties and in online advertising and marketing.
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67 Responses

  6. I love how this article makes is seem like Bynum is some scrub.
    Dude Kyle, Bynum will be better than Howard in a few years.. BOOKMARK IT.
    Bynum is a beast.

  7. Love this deal, though the team needs some type of veteran leadership with brand gone. if Iggy is gone, only players over 24 would be Nick Young, Dorrell Wright, Kwame Brown, and Royal Ivey, and no one over 30.

  10. Bynum will be kind of coming home if the Sixers acquire him: he went to school in Plainsboro NJ as well as Solebury School (which I can’t believe) in Bucks County.
    I can’t imagine he’d be against this trade except for the fact that the sixers stink and the Lakers are competing for a championship.

  11. this move would be great for the sixers. bynum gives us a big man in the east which has one other big man thats worth while (chandler). and if he decides to leave after his contract is up, that gives us 16 million to spend on a FA

  12. i don’t get the fascination with howard. he has considerable back issues, he is a mental midget in the playoffs, and worst of all, he has shown his true colors throughout the last 18 months of his trade fiasco talks. so, ill pass on howard and take bynum or gasol in a heartbeat!

  13. I can’t really tell through internet sarcasm, but do you dislike basketball half as much as you seem to or … ?

  14. I understand the dislike for the current regime, but as piss poor a brand of basketball they put out there, you still have to support them, no? I dunno, that’s just the way I feel. I hate the way they’ve been the past couple of seasons, but I don’t go shitting down their throats at every given opportunity.

  15. i applauded their drafting evan turner, and i will root for them, but this site is not a ra ra fan site. we’re going to call out ineptitude and have some fun with stuff. i see your point, but the sixers are going to have to do a lot more than get lucky to have us start praising them. hiring thorn? keeping stefanski? having 3 different swing players? no direction? those things are all real.

  17. Hmm! Interesting. Well, I for one wouldn’t want Howard if the Sixers got him for free. Besides his inconsistent offense and his balky back, the guy can’t sink free throws to save his damn life. And let’s not forget how his diva routine and insistence on being traded ensured Stan Van Gundy’s firing.
    As for Bynum, while he’s easily a top five center in the league (given how good centers are pretty much an endangered species), he’s also had injury issues and has shown more than a little immaturity at times. Still, if the Sixers could land Bynum, I’d love to see that happen. To have a beast like him would be terrific.

  18. Bynum is already better then Howard. Howard is better on defense, but Bynum has a much more polsihed offensive game. Bynum has had some knee issues, but Howard just got major back surgery.

  21. Screw Gasol. He’s on the decline. We’d be worse off with him than Iguodala. Gasol thrived in LA because of Kobe and Bynum. With a bunch of kids around him he’d be nothing.
    Bynum, though. Now we’re talking. Kid has suffered through some injury early in his career and has made an ass with his antics, but he’s undoubtedly a top 3 center in the game amongst Dwight and Marc G.
    If we’re gettin’ Bynum, get it done!

  22. “Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarakaowjwskdsowhskski”
    – You’re just going to beat this one to death aren’t you, Kyle? You haven’t gone a post in a month with throwing these side splitters in there.

  25. @ crossingbroad: bynum IS a top 15 player in the nba.
    @kyle scott: It makes me ill that you make a living off of a website that supposively covers all four big philadelphia sports. Useless? So that run in the playoffs was nothing? Being in the final eight was useless? Please sir, go fuck yourself. You better stick to that once they start winning. Don’t jump on the bandwagon. Don’t start putting up all types of nba posts once they start to build a supper team. No direction? So you’re suggesting you know more about putting together a team than the higher ups do? Have you ever seen a second of Moe Harkless game tape? Outside of position, his game is nothing like Iggy’s. This website isn’t a ra ra fan site? Please, there are puck bunnies that have less of a boner for the flyers.

  26. I’ll grab my home boy Isaac & drive Iggy & his baby to the airport.

  29. I could go for a hot dog special at the Ultimate Deli right about now

  32. Um…One small(actually huge) problem that not one of the 50 posts so far mentioned.
    IF the Sixers trade Iguodala for (one year) of Bynum, that means Spencer Hawes is now your starting power forward…
    Um, yea. I am sure that will be fun to watch him get schooled every night by Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, etc. every night. So everyone calm down. If the Sixers don’t get Pau back instead of Bynum, then the trade will be a lateral move at best.

  35. I don’t understand the hate on Iggy. Yeah he isn’t a great shooter, he is the best defensive swingman in NBA history. Plus he is more of a facilitator than a shooter anyways. God you people don’t know wank about basketball. I would hate to see you jump on the bandwagon when the Sixers go to the NBA Finals. Suck my balls.

  37. what in the hell?! I google my name for fun and I find this. Man, I aint tryna leave my crib in the hollywood hills, place is dope. Any suggestions on dope spots in philly? Condo would be kool. Iight world ima go stare at my bank account and tug myself.
    pc

  42. Fuck LA and Denver. Just trade Iggy, Nick Young and Kwame Brown to Orlando for Dwight Howard and a draft pick. Cut out the middle men and we’ll have something for next season when Howard goes to Jersey.
    Thx,
    Jay!

  43. Don’t really understand wanting to get iggy outta here just for the sake of it. His defense and ball movement are great, he’s just a terrible shot, which is half on the coaches anyway. But he’s really the only tradable player, and if we can get someone like Bynum for iggy, that’d be good.

  45. Nba is a bad product. Who wants to watch a bunch of thugs with bad tats play basketball????

  47. is there any way that we can trade the whole team to another city? i mean it. seriously. can we just get rid of this god forsaken franchise and get on with our lives. i think my life would be better if this city didn’t have this awful basketball team. where the FUCK is the JAM???????!!!!!!

  51. Holy shirt, can you imagine Bynum and Kwame Brown indulging in the Philly nightlife together. They’d be raping chicks & throwing cake on people

  52. 3 things I love & do well at in life
    1. Kicking ass
    2. Playing hockey
    3. Eating pussy

  55. When Bynum gets here I’m gonna wine him, dine him, and put it in from behind him.

  57. Is Howard completely healthy from his surgery? And the league is still waiting for him to win a title.

  58. Go fuck yourself 3 inch dick Lenny you fucking faggot. I’m gonna finger your mom in her gaping shit ringed asshole and then fuck her in her cunt you sniveling little swine. All while wearing an Elmo costume.

  61. Hey candy from professor oak…how bout I eat the double beef bean burrito and spray my rancid diarrhea directly into your mouth? Then, when you puke all over me, I can rub my pathetic dick in the fecalvomulatory puddle and rub it on you.

  62. Deal is complete: Iggy to denver, harkless and vukevic to orlando.
    sixers get bynum and jason richardson…
    Getting the 2nd best center in the league is definitely answering their need for the last few years and with what they gave up it’s an absolute great deal. Going to depend on the play of jrue and evan and thad now. Also, with lavoy allen this is absolutely awesome.

  63. @ Angelo you probably hate women n probably planning your movie theater attack

  64. Sixers Starting Line-up?
    Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum
    Off the bench?
    Spencer Hawes, Nick Young, Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright, Lavoy Allen, Royal Ivey, Arnett Moultrie
    I don’t know, that’s a pretty balanced team. I’m excited and think the Sixers should win the Atlantic Division with this team and Collins coaching.
    Then maybe next summer get another big time free agent. There will be plenty of cap space next summer and the possible free agents are nasty.
    http://www.hoopsworld.com/2013-nba-free-agents/
    All you bang wagon jumpers better keep an eye on the Sixers.

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