Dwight Howard is, and will continue to be the superstar most heavily rumored to land in L.A.. Still, as ESPNLA.com's Ramona Shelburne notes, it's worth keeping New Jersey's Deron Williams on the radar:
"While the Lakers had extended conversations with Orlando about Dwight Howard last month, it is lost on no one that when they actually pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal, it was for a point guard -- Chris Paul -- not Howard.
With that deal long since scuttled by the NBA, would the Lakers ever make a play for Williams?
Judging by the reaction that Williams admits to getting as he's walked around Los Angeles the last couple of days, Lakers fans certainly hope so.
"I've had that since I was in Utah, Laker fans wanting me to come here," Williams said Monday. "It's definitely flattering. I'll address all that when the time is right."
When my colleague J.A. Adande asked if playing at Staples Center and walking around town the last couple of days made him think about spending more time here one day, Williams smiled and said, "I like the warm weather out here. I live right up the street in San Diego."
It was a vague answer to be sure. But it wasn't a shutdown answer, either.
Indeed.
Keep in mind, nothing is happening on the D-Will front until Howard's future is set. Not traded somewhere, set, but signed on the dotted line, set. If Howard doesn't move in March, the Nets will hold on to Williams and make a play this summer to get/keep both. Bottom line, it's a slow process.
Constructing a trade for Williams-- the only way he's coming here, given L.A.'s cap issues-- isn't a snap, either. Then again, putting one together for Chris Paul wasn't easy, and the Lakers managed to figure it out.