Dwight Howard is officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers as the Orlando Magic finally put to rest one of the most painful trade sagas in recent memory. Orlando pulled the trigger on a four team deal that included Howard as the maligned all-star but also had Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala changing zip codes. Howard’s long anticipated departure from Orlando marks the beginning of an official rebuilding period for the Magic.

The Lakers on the other hand, served notice this off-season that they are to be taken serious as title contenders. While Denver and Philadelphia believe they added the pieces necessary to ensure their playoff spots. We aren’t going to break down the trade and debate the value each team received; instead we will focus on what really matters. How do these moves affect your fantasy rosters and which of these three players improved their draft stock. 

We start with the centerpiece of the trade, Dwight Howard who will be joining Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and company next season as the Lakers chase down another championship. The Lakers are still Bryant’s team; Kobe takes the shots, calls the plays, demands the ball and dominates the offensive end of the floor. Bryant is still the alpha dog on this team and Dwight Howard will have to assert himself on the floor and in the locker room in order to get those quality scoring touches he was accustomed to in Orlando. Thankfully for Howard, he has Steve Nash running the point; Nash doesn’t need to score to be happy as his strength remains his passing. With Nash running pick and roll plays, Howard should benefit from some easy rolls to the hoops reminiscent of Nash and Amare Stoudemire days in Phoenix. Look for the Lakers to get their new big man involved early and often in the season.

How much of that continues into the season will be determined by Bryant and his willingness to take a step back offensively. I see Howard’s points per game and rebounds per game numbers trending down this season. Still a double-double machine, Howard will have fewer touches to get his baskets and has better rebounders around him than he did in Orlando. Howard remains a top fantasy player as his block shot totals could actually increase due to the relatively poor perimeter defence of Steve Nash. Howard will be off the board early in many draft leagues, but you might be better served to look elsewhere for value at the centre position. 

Andre Iguodala is off to the Mile High City where he will join the Denver Nuggets. Iguodala became expendable in Philadelphia with the emergence of Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and the improved play of Evan Turner. Now Andre looks to help bring the Nuggets back to playoff prominence. Iguodala has seen his points per game totals in a steady decline since the 2007-08 season, while still maintaining solid rebounding and assist averages. Iguodala should contribute more offensively in Denver, and his points per game averages should bounce back to around 17 per contest, while still averaging six rebounds and five assists. Iguodala should be a mid-round pickup in most draft leagues.

If daily leagues are your fancy then watch for a favourable scheduling period where Iguodala and the Nuggets could get hot, ride him for the short gain and then move on.  
 
The city of brotherly love can welcome its newest savior, as Andrew Bynum fills that much needed big man void in the Sixer’s lineup. Philadelphia is hoping that the hometown lure is enough to keep Bynum around as they hope to sign a five year extension with the big man. Bynum will see an increase from his scoring average in 2011-2012 and likely push that number closer to 20 ppg, while his rebounding numbers should see considerably increase. Look for Bynum to post rebounding averages near 13 or 14 per contest. Without the scrutiny of the Los Angeles media and negative attention surrounding the trade deadline, this 24 year old will be more focused and more consistent game to game. People are quick to anoint Bynum as the second best centre in the game and should he stay healthy and bring a consistent effort this season he might finally live up to that billing this season. Bynum will bring you value and production without those sporadic outings we saw last year that disappointed fantasy owners.