11:45am: Speaking to Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio, Kupchak said he has received calls from rival GMs as recently as this morning about Howard, but that a trade won't be happening (Twitter link via Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
10:01am: Although Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has insisted both privately and publicly that Dwight Howard won't be traded at this year's deadline, reports continue to surface suggesting that the Lakers are listening to offers. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Kupchak reiterated yesterday that the Lakers won't be trading Howard.
"That would be correct," Kupchak said, when asked if the Lakers will hang on to Howard through the deadline. The GM added that he doesn't expect to make a move that upgrades the talent on the Lakers' roster, saying "I just don’t see how that’s realistic."
If the Lakers are at least still answering calls about Howard, the Hawks and Nets are among the teams rumored to be interested, but it sounds like the Lakers will take their chances that the All-Star center will re-sign in Los Angeles this summer.