The Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic have held plenty of discussions about a possible Dwight Howard trade. One potential stumbling block to a deal has nothing to do with those two teams.
Because the Magic have no interest in Kris Humphries, a third and/or fourth team will be needed to facilitate the trade. While the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Bobcats have all been mentioned as possible facilitators, ESPN's Marc Stein reports that there's a growing hesitance among NBA general managers to help opponents, including the Nets, form "super teams."
Multiple league executives told ESPN.com on Sunday that there is growing reluctance among some teams to participate in the sort of three-team deal that would get Howard to Brooklyn, amid some leaguewide dissatisfaction that the Los Angeles Lakers were able to swing a deal for Steve Nash last week.
Being the cog in creating another super team in Brooklyn, with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson already in the mix, is not palatable to some teams concerned about competitive balance.
"You can talk about the new (luxury) tax all you want, but if the Lakers get Nash and the Nets get Howard, then what did the new CBA accomplish?" one GM said. "You have to realize part of long-term planning is making sure you don't help create teams you can't beat."
This might not be a major obstacle, since it won't require a majority vote for the Nets to acquire Howard. They only need to find one or two teams willing to help them.
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