NESN

Report: Lakers Still Pushing to Acquire Dwight Howard

The Lakers' pursuit of Dwight Howard isn't an entirely new concept, but Los Angeles is making a renewed push to acquire the six-time All-Star, according to ESPN.com.

There was reportedly no face-to-face meeting between Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Magic general manager Rob Hennigan on Tuesday, but L.A. remains committed to pursuing Howard even without assurances he'd sign a long-term extension.

ESPN's Chris Broussard has reported that nothing is imminent between the two teams, but a source familiar with the Lakers' interest in Howard reportedly told ESPN.com that there is an "ongoing" dialogue between the two teams, even though a trade would be "very tough to pull off." There is reportedly also a possibility that any of the teams involved — including Cleveland and Houston, who've been seen as potential third-team facilitators — could walk away from talks at some point this week.

Another issue is that the Magic may not want to pull the trigger on a deal that would land them Bynum without an assurance that he'd sign a long-term extension with the team.

In other words, there's a lot that still needs to be ironed out before we can see Howard teaming up with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, but the possibility remains there.

Click here for an opinion on what Dwight Howard would mean to the Lakers >>

Photo via Flickr/Keith Allison