It's been more than a year since it's been in the works, but the Orlando Magic have finally, officially, traded Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. The league announced the deal had been completed earlier Friday afternoon, and the Magic themselves have issued a press release of sorts confirming the deal. There's no turning back now, it's actually happening.
Dwight Howard Trade Now Official After Magic Confirm Details
The deal will send Dwight Howard, Earl Clark and Chris Duhon to the Lakers and Jason Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers, who will send Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and receive Andrew Bynum from the Lakers. The Magic receive first-round picks from each team in the deal, from the Nuggets (or Knicks, thanks to the Carmelo Anthony trade) in 2014, the Sixers in '15 and the Lakers in '17, as well as Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington from the Nuggets, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless from the Sixers and Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga from the Lakers.
From the Magic’s release:
Orlando has only $20 million in salaries committed to the 2014-15 season, meaning it could have as much as $30 million in salary cap space to pursue two elite free agents in the summer of 2014. The Magic will also be armed [with] five first-round picks and five second-round picks over the next three years.
“A primary goal for our basketball team is to achieve long term sustainability while maintaining a long term vision. We feel this deal puts us in a position to begin building in that direction,” Hennigan said in a release. “In addition to the six players joining our team, we will be in a position to maximize our salary cap flexibility in the near future, as well as utilize the multiple draft picks we have acquired going forward.”
For more on the teams involved with the Howard deal, visit Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post, Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll, Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs and Sixers blog Liberty Ballers.
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