Ten years later: Lessons from the Dwight Howard trade

On August 10, 2012, the NBA’s hierarchy seemingly shifted.

After losing in five games to an up-and-coming Oklahoma City squad, the Los Angeles Lakers issued a blockbuster trade to assist aging veterans Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in one last title run.

The storied franchise acquired Dwight Howard in a four-team trade that netted the Orlando Magic Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga and multiple future draft picks.

We know the first Howard-to-LA experiment was a failure: the Lakers were swept in the first round of the playoffs and Howard jetted to Houstan less than one year after being traded to Tinsel Town.