Given how much of a black sheep he was midway through this season, it's sort of bizarre that Gasol remains as the last man standing amongst LA's core. Probably bit of a blessing in disguise for LA that they're out this early, because free agency and the amnesty period are going to be coming up on them in a hurry.
As for Dwight, I can't see him staying. If he stays, it's a paper-thin roster with a still not 100% Nash, a oft-injured Gasol, Kobe out for months and possibly all of next year, an aging MWP, and few other effective players. That's a huge load for Howard to carry. They can't simply plan for the tank next year, as that would seem to be a huge insult to Howard in tanking a season of his prime. They can amnesty Kobe and move Gasol and try to do a quick rebuild around Howard.
But if they're willing to amnesty Kobe, their best option might be do then swing a double sign-and-trade with Atlanta and Josh Smith. I think that actually makes a lot of sense for everyone: Atlanta gets a great center and can move Horford to his more natural PF, Howard gets to play in his hometown, Josh Smith gets a near max salary he's craving from LA, and LA gets a guy who's pretty well-suited to a D'Antoni offense. Both guys get more money from the sign-and-trade than they would from straight-up unrestricted free agency. Only thing is those two are friends and would like an outcome where they play together, but scenarios where they end up in the same city seem less likely.
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