In this deal, the Lakers sent Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also received Jason Richardson from the Magic. The 76ers sent Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets while the Magic received Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, and multiple draft picks.
After the trade, the Orlando Magic were highly criticized for not demanding another superstar in return and opted for young prospects instead. For the other three teams involved, it was a risk they were willing to take as Howard, Bynum, and Iguodala were all unrestricted free agents the following summer.
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Fast forward to the summer of 2013, and Dwight Howard left Los Angeles because he couldn’t handle the pressure. Andre Iguodala surprisingly left the Denver Nuggets for the Golden State Warriors. And of course, Andrew Bynum didn’t play the entire season for the Sixers before recently signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
All three teams looked better on paper at the time, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out for any team except the Magic on the anniversary of this blockbuster trade. Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, and Jason Richardson are the only players who have remained with their respective teams.
Fortunately for the Lakers, the summer of 2014 presents another opportunity for the franchise to sign their next superstar. It might be another year, but I don’t think Lakers fans will mind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony possibly in the purple and gold instead of Howard.
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