Question: If Dwight Howard is traded this season, which team is the best fit for him?
BUCHER: I argued this earlier in the year and I believe it still holds true: If Howard is going to leave Orlando, the New Jersey Nets are the best team for him to join because he can put an indelible stamp on that franchise simply by: A. Choosing them over gaudier destinations and, B. Winning a single championship. (I'm only considering teams in which I know he's interested, thereby eliminating the Bulls and Celtics and Thunder. The choices are the Nets, Knicks, Mavericks and Lakers.) Going to the Mavericks now is a bit like LeBron going to the Miami Heat -- no matter what he does, he'll be viewed as a bandwagon jumper of sorts. Going to the Lakers means winning, minimum, three titles to stand among the franchise's previous great big men, the Shaquille O'Neals and Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, and I don't see Kobe Bryant lasting long enough to pull that off. And without Kobe, there is no championship-caliber closer in purple and gold. If Howard went to the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire or Carmelo Anthony would have to go to Orlando. Amare-Dwight is a bad fit, and while from a basketball standpoint Melo-DH could work, I don't see a leader. Dwight can have the limelight in New Jersey and be the court jester when it strikes him while Deron Williams sets the pace and provides the proper attitude.
BROUSSARD: I believe Dwight and Amare could play together, and thus, I say New York would be the best place for Dwight to settle if winning multiple rings is his priority. Amare plays much of his game around the elbows, so he would leave the block to Dwight. You can make a very strong argument that a Knicks Big Three of Dwight, Carmelo and Amare would be better than the vaunted trio down on South Beach. While I love Deron Williams, I believe Dwight would have a better chance to win rings with this crew in New York than with D-Will in Jersey/Brooklyn, where no Big Three exists. And while one ring in Brooklyn would perhaps be worth two in L.A., the same holds true for one ring in New York -- even more so. While winning with a fledging franchise in Brooklyn would indeed be special, winning the legendary Knicks their first ring in roughly 40 years would be even bigger. Patrick Ewing was never able to win in New York, so if Dwight led the Knicks to a win -- let alone multiple titles -- he would be humongous. You know as well as I that everything in New York is magnified, the good and the bad. I agree with you that Kobe may not have enough left in the tank to help Dwight win multiple rings. But even as Amare's knees give way in a few years, Melo's going to be going strong for many more years. That's enough to make New York the right landing place.
Question: If Chris Paul is traded this season, which team is the best fit for him?
BUCHER: If Paul has a list of preferred destinations, he hasn't let it be known, so let's assume the field is wide open. Let's also assume he wants to go to a bigger market and play with another superstar, which seems to be the blueprint du jour. I see the Knicks as the most ideal fit with either Amare or Carmelo. (Put down the pipe, Knicks' fans, if you're thinking you can have all three.) His toughness and ability to penetrate and kick would work well with the skill set of either current Knick star and, unlike Dwight, he has the necessary nastiness to keep Melo focused. The MSG crowd also enjoys a show and Paul is certainly an entertainer. I'd worry a bit about marrying two stars -- Amare and CP3 -- who already have knee issues at such a relatively young age and are average defenders, at best. But I'd love to see Deron as a Net and CP3 as a Knick battle for point-guard supremacy in Gotham. Now, if market size weren't a factor, the Trail Blazers would be an ideal fit for Paul, assuming the Brandon Roy issue can be resolved. Roy and Paul would have a hard time coexisting, but I can't think of a big man who would benefit more from playing with Paul than LaMarcus Aldridge, and Portland has the necessary compensatory size at the other perimeter positions.
BROUSSARD: Like you said, since there's no official wish list for CP3 we'll leave the field open. So I say New Orleans should trade him to OKC for Russell Westbrook. Chris may want a bigger market, but he did really enjoy his time in OKC when Katrina forced the Hornets to move there temporarily. With Kevin Durant and James Harden to dish to, Paul would wreak havoc on the West as well as the league. He'd also turn Serge Ibaka into an alley-oop beast, not to mention get Kendrick Perkins several easy buckets a game. In OKC, he wouldn't have to worry about Amare's aching knees, and last year CP3 attempted just 11 shots a game, so there'd be no more ignoring KD in the waning moments. It's a match made in heaven -- if winning (and not locale) is what matters most. I must say this: I could have picked Orlando, which would be a swell destination with Dwight, but the Magic don't have a realistic trade scenario that works so I nixed it.
Question: If Deron Williams is traded this season, which team is the best fit for him?
BUCHER: The same argument for Howard holds for Deron, as far as staying with the Nets and being a founding father of success for the franchise's Russian-owned, Brooklyn-based era. Whatever accomplishments he has with the Nets would be far more appreciated there than just about anywhere else. But Deron's combination of scoring, size, leadership and ability to distribute makes him the easiest and most versatile fit of all three. If there's a championship-caliber team that he could particularly help -- and be helped by -- I'd go with the Lakers. His shooting range would allow Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum the space they need on the block, and his ability either to catch-and-shoot or create-and-dish would allow him and Bryant to play off each other even more effectively than LeBron and Wade did.
BROUSSARD: Well, if Deron can get Dwight to come to Jersey/Brooklyn, of course he stays. But if he forces a trade, Orlando -- while a lovely prospect with Dwight -- just isn't realistic. There are several other places that make sense. How about Atlanta for Joe Smith (then the Hawks re-sign Jamal Crawford)? Or Memphis for Mike Conley and Rudy Gay? Portland would be a good fit, too. But I'd really love to see D-Will in Clippers gear with Blake Griffin. While I love Eric Gordon, I'd send him and Mo Williams packing for Deron. Or maybe DeAndre Jordan and Mo for D-Will. Deron, Blake and Gordon? Now that's a Big Three.
