"As the Lakers progressed on reworking their trade proposal for Chris Paul, another possibility blew in their direction, wearing a Superman cape.

The Lakers were told they were one of three teams allowed to try to negotiate a deal with the agent for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, according to a person familiar with Orlando's thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.

The other teams granted permission to talk to Howard's agent were New Jersey and Dallas.

The development represented another twist in an already frenetic week, the Lakers agreeing to a trade with New Orleans for Paul, only to get rebuffed Thursday by the NBA.

The Hornets were told by the NBA they did not get enough young talent in the original deal, which meant the need to add additional draft picks or, obviously, younger players.

"They're re-engaging," said a person familiar with negotiations. "It's possible something could be put back together."

The original deal included Pau Gasol going to Houston and Lamar Odom to New Orleans. The Hornets also would have acquired Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic from Houston, as well as a first-round draft pick from the Rockets.

NBA Commissioner David Stern released a statement earlier Friday in which he said New Orleans was "better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.""