Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Howard and Deron Williams Best Small-Big Duo Ever?

New Jersey Nets fans were excited when rumors began speculating that Dwight Howard wanted to be traded to the Nets. According to ESPN.com, it looked for a minute as if the deal was going to happen, and Howard would be taking his talents to New Jersey.

As the calendar switches over to 2012, Dwight Howard is still in Orlando, and the Nets are struggling. The Nets organization needs to make a move fast if it wants to become a contender and move into Brooklyn with some buzz.

The Nets need to pair Dwight Howard with Deron Williams, because it would give them one of the best duos of a small and a big ever.

But will it give them the best small-big duo ever?

7. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin

This new combo is a work in progress, and they are on this list because of the potential they have.

They have all the potential in the world, as Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in the league, and Blake Griffin is a young star. 

The more they play together, the better chemistry they will have. They compare to the great John Stockton and Karl Malone duo. 

We are in store for many highlight alley-oops from this pair. The longer they play together, the better chance they have to move up this list.

6. Jerry West and Wilt "The Stilt"Chamberlain

Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain are two of the best players to ever play in the NBA.

Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968 to join West and Elgin Baylor. Chamberlain and West never had a problem getting along, unlike Chamberlain and Baylor.

These two are on the list for their pure talent alone. Although West and Chamberlain had a good relationship, other distractions caused West to post a career-low 25.9 points per game.

Talent-wise, these two players together make up one of the greatest small man, big man combinations ever.

5. Gary "The Glove" Payton and Shawn "Reign Man" Kemp

Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp are arguably the greatest "alley-oop" duo ever.

When Kemp finally found his place in the NBA, he and Payton led the Sonics to a franchise best 64 wins and to the 1995-96 NBA Finals.

Had they not run into Michael Jordan in the finals, they could have very easily won the championship.

Also, if Shawn Kemp and the team didn't have contract disputes, and he stayed with Gary Payton and the SuperSonics, the duo could have easily been higher up on the list.

4. Deron Williams and Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard reportedly requested a trade to the Nets to play alongside friend Deron Williams. Both players are physical players that will have significant impacts offensively and defensively.

Williams is considered by many to be the best point guard in the NBA. Dwight Howard is undoubtedly the best center in the NBA. Together, the Nets will have the best player at the two most important positions in the game.

The two together would help make the Nets an elite team in the NBA.

They are good friends, and the chemistry on the court would most likely click immediately. Williams' game will improve from having Howard on his team, and Howard's game will improve from having a point guard like Williams on his team.

3. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal

The drama involving Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal has not gone unnoticed, but when they played together on the Lakers, they made one of the greatest duos of all time.

In 1996, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal and acquired the draft rights to Kobe Bryant. They played together from 1996 to 2004. Together, they won three consecutive NBA Finals (2000, 2001, 2002). They also made it to the Finals in 2004, however they did not win it that year.

After the 2004 season, Shaq demanded a trade and was traded to the Miami Heat.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers called the relationship between O'Neal and Bryant the "biggest travesty in sports," because they should have remained teammates and won at least five championships together. 

While they had a lot of success when they played together in Los Angeles, they could have had even more success if they could have found a way to stay together.

Had the two stayed together, they could have also been No. 1 on this list.

2. Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

These two almost didn't make it on the list because despite Magic being a point guard, he was a large 6'9" and 255 pounds. So, it is hard to consider this a small-big duo because both players are big men.

However, since Magic was the point guard and probably the best passer of all time, I'll let it slide.

When the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson in 1979, it would start a Lakers dynasty that was built around the duo of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While Abdul-Jabbar was not the same player he was in the '70s, he still was able to appear in the NBA Finals eight times and win five NBA championships with Magic Johnson.

1. John Stockton and Karl Malone

John Stockton and Karl Malone make up the best big man-little man combination in NBA history. 

They never won an NBA title together, but the chemistry these two had make them the best. The two played together wonderfully and were masters of the "pick and roll" and "give and go."

When these two played together, it was like an art to which no duo has been able to compare.