Good Trade for all involved.

For the Lakers JRich isn't even that bad of a contract to take on, they could just Amnesty Ron Artest and use JRich as his replacement.

A line up of Nash, Bryant, JRich, Gasol, Howard is going to be hard for anyone to stop.

For the Rockets they get Bynum to build around and reload without having to completely bottom out. Bynum gets a shot at being the man on a franchise that loves its centre's and has arguably the best coach of big men in the league.

The magic clear plenty of salary and get a tonne of picks/prospects....a good place to restart.

I think you can wear a bad contract if you get Howard, not like that would hold it up.

If the Lakers get Howard it will be another nail in the coffin of what used to make the NBA great. Instead of teams developing great teams through great drafting, good trades and player development it will have any cashloaded team that can buy a championchip because the system allows players to dictate the terms and hold teams at gun point.

Finally looks like he's getting traded today, probably to the Lakers.

Do you reckon the NBA needs to put in a hard salary cap like the NFL and NHL?

Is the luxury tax really enough of a deterrent to stop clubs from going over the cap?

It hasn't stopped the big market teams IMHO

I understand that a soft salary cap allows teams to stay together more because players who stay on the team do not count towards the cap.
But this is only incentive to keep your average/solid NBA players.

NBA superstars will still bounce around to big market teams because it is these big market teams who don't give a hell about the luxury tax

Yeah because this is the first time big time players have made decisions, and teamed up. If anything, David Stern put the nail in the coffin when he screwed the Kings in 2002.

The Magic have told Howard they are closing down trade talks and looking for a new coach instead.

I was really hoping this circus was coming to an end.

Oh well at least he didn't go to the Lakers!!! :)

The Magic have finally realised they have some power in this process and aren't willing to trade him for low value offers or players that may just leave anyway (ie Bynum).

I understand the need for the Magic to play hardball on this one, but is it really a better option for them to keep someone who doesn't want to be there and just lose him for nothing next year? If the Brooklyn trade is as reported (Humpfries, Lopez, draft picks etc.), that's a pretty good deal isn't it? The Lakers deal where they gain a whole bunch of draft picks, money, etc. and clear out JRich's crazy contract (or just get Bynum) is better than nothing too isn't it?
It's clear as day that one way or another, Howard won't be a Magic in 2013, why not at least get something in return for one of the best players in the league. The other option is to bury the head in the sand like Cleveland and lose him for nothing and become a.cellar dweller (or strike it lucky and win the lottery like they did).

Ricey I agree the Kings were screwed by the Refs in game 6 of the conference finals. But if you think that is somehow relevant to the point I was trying to make then you are delusional.