No offense to Harden or Smith. No offense to Daryl Morey, who has expertly positioned his roster and payroll for this moment. No offense to Mark Cuban, who has not only the resources but also the basketball acumen and championship track record to give Howard a winning environment in Dallas.
No offense to the Hawks or Warriors, who are on their way.
But seriously: Who walks away from the Lakers?
Who walks away from the Lakers when they'll have $50 million in cap space next summer, when James, Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are free agents?
With Howard in the fold, the Lakers would walk into the recruitment of James next summer with the best center of our generation and room for two other max players. The rest of the NBA would be ducking for cover.
If Howard chooses the Lakers, the shenanigans and drama that has consumed his career for the past three years would cease. I'm not big on loyalty being a trait that professional athletes should exhibit, since hardly anyone shows it to them. But Howard more than anyone else in the sport needs some loyalty on his resume. He'd check that box if he re-signed with the Lakers.
He'd be signing more than a piece of paper that states he'll be paid X amount over X number of years to play basketball professionally. He'd be signing up to enter the pantheon of the all-time greats. And he'd be signing up for having the foresight to see beyond the next 12 months and embrace a future in which the Lakers have two Hall of Famers and money to spend on two more.
In fact, the Lakers would be better than the Lakers as we've known them. In 12 short months, they'll be the Lakers with Dwight Howard and cap space. Which means they'll be able to get whatever players -- and whatever coach -- they want.