Report: Four-way Howard deal 'very close'

Sixers sources have been tight-lipped and coach Doug Collins is in London preparing to call the U.S. vs. Argentina semifinal game for NBC in the Olympics. But even so, the official edict from the franchise is to not comment on rumors.


Still, the one floated around by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski citing sources certainly is something to talk about.

In the scenario reported, the Sixers and Denver Nuggets would enter the fray of a four-team trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Lakers.

“A deal is not considered imminent, but the talks have grown serious over the course of this week, sources said,” according to Wojnarowski.

However, league sources told ESPN's Chris Broussard Thursday night that the four-team trade is "very close" to happening and could be agreed upon Friday.


In the four-team scenario, the Sixers would trade Olympian and All-Star Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets in return for Lakers center Andrew Bynum, while Howard and Nuggets’ forward Al Harrington would head to L.A. with Lakers forward Pau Gasol and Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo off to Orlando. The talks are apparently "fluid" and Bynum and Gasol's destinations are subject to change, but the Sixers would still land one or the other, according to the Yahoo! Sports report.

Incidentally, the Sixers host the Nuggets in the 2012-13 season opener.

Regardless, both the Sixers and Nuggets are capped out, which means neither team could add more salary. However, Iguodala is owed nearly $15 million for 2012-13 and $16.1 million for the following season with an opt-out clause. Bynum, the Lakers’ talented young center, is owed $16.8 million for the upcoming season in the last year of his contract.

A source told Broussard that the Sixers have not spoken with Bynum or his representatives about potentially signing an extension with the team. Still, the source said "the Sixers are willing to take a shot."

So could it happen? With Sixers’ folks scattered for the summer, it’s tough to tell. Late last month a Sixers source said a trade involving Iguodala “won’t happen” during the off-season, with another report from HoopsWorld.com indicating that the Sixers are actually building the team around Iguodala and that if any move is to come regarding the Olympian, it would be in the distant future.

An expiring contract and an All-Star caliber player? It sounds too good to be true.