Los Angeles Lakers: 3 trades for a second center involving Wes Matthews

Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Wesley Matthews (9) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Wesley Matthews (9) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers welcome back Dwight Howard:

A familiar face comes back to LA.

The controversy surrounding Dwight Howard’s exit from the Lakers for the 2nd time does not need to be brought up again.

A misunderstanding and panic within the fast-moving free-agent market forced Howard and his team to make a quick decision in order to ensure that Howard wasn’t left without a team for the 2020-21 NBA season.

Hold your grudges on how it played out but one saying has always rung true throughout the Lakers storied history.

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Once a Laker, always a Laker. Lakers Nation always supports our former guys from afar.

Right now Julius Randle is tearing it up for the New York Knicks and a rye grin can be found on many a Lakers fan’s faces. The same can be said for Thomas Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball to name a few.

A chance to bring a former member of the Lakers should be welcomed by fans.

Dwight Howard during his short time with the Los Angeles Lakers endeared himself to Lakers Nation last season.

Gone was the prima donna Dwightmare, and in its place was a team player,  a good teammate, an impactful bench player, and a fan favorite.

Howard isn’t the 3-time DPOY he once was, but he played hard and did whatever was needed for his team.

He isn’t a game-changing player but he is a player that will gladly play a role and do whatever he can to make the team better.

For the 76ers, they seem to value shooting above all else.

With Joel Embiid getting a large number of minutes and playing at a borderline MVP level, Howard might be left to feed off scraps.

With the Lakers there is a need for a rim protector and Howard would fill that role and would get a guaranteed stream of minutes that would allow for him to be impactful on a team he already has played with.

Wesley Matthews gives the 76ers even more shooting and defense which is music to Doc Rivers’s ears.

When it comes to playoffs, the best way for the 76ers to be successful is if they surround Embiid and Simmons with as many shooters as possible and Matthews puts them in a wonderful to get better come playoff time.