With the trade deadline just two hours away, the Lakers front office may be running out of phone lines. With the actions of Dwight Howard as the domino, who finally signed his ETO waiver to confirm that he will remain in Orlando at least until next year's trade deadline takes us through this process all over again, there are now repercussions that simply do not have time to play out. First and foremost, Howard's decision makes it extremely unlikely that Deron Williams will remain in New Jersey this offseason, and therefore imperative that NJ consider selling Williams for whatever they can. "Whatever they can" includes Pau Gasol in a straight up deal the Lakers offered New Jersey as late as last night, though New Jersey has routinely dismissed the idea they'd do such a deal. That said, the Nets are in scramble mode, trying to obtain Gerald Wallace at the last minute, so anything remains possible.
Meanwhile, in other news, the Lakers are still trying to acquire Michael Beasley to replace the complete lack of production that occurs whenever Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol need to rest. That deal has been reported as likely for two straight days, but as the hours before the deadline turn into minutes, we still have no idea whether the trade will go down.
What we do know is that Mitch Kupchak, along with every other front office employee, is on the phone right now, talking to somebody. We just don't know who, and to what end. God bless the NBA Trade deadline.