Updated: August 10, 2012, 8:53 PM ET
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Dwight Howard arrived in Los Angeles four months ago. On Friday, he became a member of the Lakers.
Calling it "a fresh start" for both him and Orlando, Howard was the centerpiece of a four-team, 12-player trade that sent him to the Lakers and ended the long, drawn-out saga surrounding his long-awaited departure from the Magic.
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Howard has been rehabbing in Los Angeles since having back surgery in April. He says he's "looking forward to being great in L.A."
So after an offseason in which the Magic fired coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith, now they're truly beginning anew. Howard is gone as well, the second time the franchise has lost a big-man star to the Lakers.
In 1996, the Magic watched Shaquille O'Neal sign as a free agent with the Lakers. At least this time when they lost someone with the "Superman" nickname, they got something back.
"It was just a very tough situation for everybody to let go," Howard said. "I'm finally glad that it's over with. Myself and the Magic organization, we can all start over and begin a new career. Today is a fresh new start for all of us."
A lot of players found new homes, including Andrew Bynum, sent by the Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers sent Andre Iguodala -- part of the U.S. Olympic team set to play a semifinal game at the London Games on Friday -- to the Denver Nuggets.
"I know my best basketball is ahead of me," Iguodala wrote on Twitter.
Orlando got guard Arron Afflalo and forward Al Harrington from Denver and forward Moe Harkless and center Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers. The Lakers got Howard, guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark from Orlando. The Magic also traded guard Jason Richardson to Philadelphia.
Orlando also gets five draft picks over five years.
"A primary goal for our basketball team is to achieve sustainability while maintaining a long-term vision. We feel this deal puts us in a position to begin building in that direction," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. "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."
Howard will have to wait to make his debut with the Lakers since he is expected to miss the start of the regular season as he continues to recover from back surgery, multiple sources told ESPN.
The Lakers pulled off the deal and somehow kept Pau Gasol in the process -- something many didn't expect when the Lakers first started getting mentioned in the Howard trade mix.
The trade was announced during the Spain-Russia semifinal matchup at the Olympics. Gasol scored 16 points, helping the Spanish team reach the gold-medal game with a 67-59 win.
Dwight Howard to Lakers
| Team | Receives in trade |
|---|---|
| Lakers | Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark |
| Nuggets | Andre Iguodala |
| 76ers | Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson |
| Magic* | Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga |
| *- Magic also will receive a protected first-round pick from each of the other three teams and five overall draft picks | |
Gasol admitted that he struggled to keep his focus fully on Spain's victory.
"It was hard for me to block it out completely," Gasol said.
While insisting he was trying as hard as he could to concentrate on Spain's attempt to go one step further than it did in Beijing in 2008, when it narrowly lost to the United States in the gold-medal game, Gasol, likewise, couldn't conceal his excitement about the Lakers' future.
"I think it's something that puts in position of being a truly power team," Gasol said, "and a team with all the chances to go for the ring."
The Magic said they were also getting a second-round draft pick from Denver next year; a first-round pick from either Denver or New York in 2014; a conditional first-round pick from Philadelphia and a conditional second-round pick from the Lakers in 2015; and a conditional first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017.
One source briefed on Howard's plans told ESPN.com's Marc Stein the All-Star center will indeed stand firm on his intent to play out the 2012-13 season without extending his contract so he can become a free agent on July 1, 2013. Going that route will enable Howard to decide how comfortable he is in Los Angeles before deciding whether to re-sign with the Lakers or join the Dallas Mavericks, who will have the requisite salary-cap space to sign Howard and who remain one of his preferred destinations from his original list of three teams (Nets, Lakers and Mavericks).
"If Los Angeles doesn't work out for Dwight, Dallas will be there waiting for him," the source told Stein.
Howard averaged 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds in 54 regular-season games for Orlando last season. In eight seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points and 13.0 rebounds.
Howard has been a first-team All-NBA selection in each of the past five seasons, something only four centers in NBA history have done in at least four consecutive seasons. All those players have now been Lakers at some point -- O'Neal (1996-06), George Mikan (1948-54) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-74).
And Howard would figure to make the Lakers even more of a title contender.
The Western Conference is loaded -- Oklahoma City is young, talented and likely to be driven after losing the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat; San Antonio was spectacular last season; the Los Angeles Clippers are rising; and the Nuggets could be much better with Iguodala.
But the Lakers clearly have loaded up to make a run at what would be Kobe Bryant's sixth title next season. Steve Nash was added from Phoenix to run the offense, and now they have Howard to occupy the low post.
"I told him this is a great place for him," said Bryant, who talked to Howard on Friday morning. "You talk about all the great centers this team has had. Now he's the next in line."
Howard entered last season as the subject of trade rumors, especially since he could have opted out of his deal at season's end and become a free agent. He decided he would not exercise that option, then found himself in another firestorm in April when Van Gundy said Howard wanted him fired.
Howard denied it. Ultimately, it didn't matter. Van Gundy's gone, Smith is gone, and now so is Howard.
He went to Los Angeles for back surgery in April, when it was announced that he would miss both the rest of Orlando's season and the London Olympics.
Maybe it was fitting that the surgery was in Los Angeles.
It has been Howard's home base ever since, and now it's where he'll work.
"We'd like to thank Andrew for all he's done for the team and the organization," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "Andrew has been with us since we drafted him at 17 years old and over the last seven years we have watched him develop into an All-Star player who has helped the team win two NBA championships. He's a special talent with a bright future."
Howard had asked for a trade to Brooklyn. Despite several scenarios being discussed, Orlando failed to work out a deal with the Nets but remained determined to move their disgruntled big man.
"I wish nothing but the best for Big Bynum," Bryant wrote on Facebook. "I hope he follows what was a great season last year with an even better one next year. I know LA is excited about the deal and rightfully so. The Lakers landed a piece that will hopefully carry the franchise long after I'm gone. I have spoken to Dwight Howard already and we are locked and loaded to bring back the title."
Information from ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard and ESPN Senior Writer Marc Stein and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne and the Associated Press was used in this report.
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