The latest news in the Dwight Howard saga is that Howard wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets this year and they are the only team on his list. Howard has said he will explore free-agency after the 2012-2013 NBA season if he is not traded to Brooklyn and expressed this to new General Manager Rob Hennigan. If this happens, the Brooklyn Nets go from pretender to contender in a heartbeat. This will also greatly affect the other major Brooklyn Nets soap opera, whether D-Will stays or goes.
Dwight Howard could be the first domino to fall if he is traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
In this complicated domino-like structure, Dwight Howard is the biggest piece; Deron Williams is the next domino to fall, he wants to play with Howard whether in Dallas or Brooklyn; and free-agent point guard Jason Kidd has said he will follow Williams wherever he plays. Deron Williams is meeting with the Dallas Mavericks first and will meet with the Brooklyn Nets after, and Jason Kidd awaits Williams decision. Another wrinkle to throw into the Brooklyn Nets free-agency madness is that there were ongoing talks with Atlanta about Joe Johnson coming to Brooklyn in exchange for expiring contracts. The early word is that Brooklyn is balking because they don’t want to handcuff their ability to get other players, but Mikhail Prokhorov has no problem absorbing Johnson’s exorbitant salary.
If everything goes the Nets way in this free agent shuffle, here is what will happen:
- Dwight Howard is traded to the Brooklyn Nets from the Orlando Magic and signs a long-term contract.
- Deron Williams spurns the Dallas Mavericks and decides to join forces with Howard in Brooklyn.
- Jason Kidd comes to Brooklyn with Williams, giving the Nets a veteran presence and backup to Williams.
- Joe Johnson gives the Brooklyn Nets some additional depth alongside Williams and Howard, and their own “Big Three.”
As long as we are outlining the most perfect scenario for the Brooklyn Nets off-season, let’s throw some icing on the cake: In addition to the Nets dominos falling perfectly, they also cross the pond and sign Mirza Teletović, the 6-9 Bosnian power-forward superstar. This would be not just one of the best free-agent off-seasons in NBA history, but the whole move – Brooklyn, the Barclays, Prokhorov, Jay-Z – would be about as close to perfection as possible. Then, all the Brooklyn Nets would have to do is bring a bunch of championships to Brooklyn. Assembling stars on one roster has become the quickest way to accomplish this, thanks to the Boston Celtics assembling the original “Big Three” and the Miami Heat’s own version (more like “Big 2.5″). Even if this dream scenario doesn’t work out exactly as planned, it’s still great to dream. Make it happen Brooklyn. You can bet the Brooklyn Nets will be the hottest ticket in the NBA if you do. Can you imagine the Miami Heat squaring off against this roster in the 2012-2013 NBA Playoffs? I can. Let’s go Brooklyn!
