Dwight Howard Trade Rumors Heat Up, Boston Buzz Abounds

Despite joining the Lakers less than a year ago, Dwight Howard trade rumors are swirling and churning. Howard, who was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in August, looks to be on the move once again. The team that could eventually land the churlish, yet eminently talented Howard is apparently the Boston Celtics.

SB Nation is reporting that the two teams are discussing a straight up trade for Rajon Rondo. Other Dwight Howard rumors haven’t been quite so exact in who the return would be, but CBS Sports.com is also reporting that the Celtics/Lakers talks are very much alive and well. The major difference between the two reports appears to be that CBS Sports has been told that it would take more than Rondo to get Howard away from the Lakers.

The timing of these particular trade talks is nothing if not ironic. It was right around the NBA All-Star break that Dwight Howard trade talks were all over the web.

These rumors come a little over a month after the Lakers had reportedly said that they were not going to be listening to offers for Howard anymore. It’s unclear whether the Lakers had truly shut off the trade talks for a while or they simply hadn’t been blown away by any offers. One of the reason the rumors having Howard headed to the Celtics has surprised so many is because of the two teams’ history with each other.

Boston and Los Angeles have been long time rivals, dating all the way back to the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird golden age of the NBA. Back there and back then, the two teams were routinely doing battle for the league championship.

The perceived hatred between the two teams appears to be one of the reasons that the Dwight Howard rumors have caught so many off guard.