Five Trade Deadline Deals That Should Get Done

The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and rumor mills are buzzing. The rumors stretch all over the country, going as far east as Nate Robinson of the Knicks and Devin Harris of the Nets, and as far west as Monta Ellis in Golden State. Players north of the border aren't any safer. Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon are constantly being thrown into rumors as well. As wild and off-based as many of these rumors end up being, its still fun to speculate about the monster moves that may happen. Here are five potential deals I could see having playoff implications.

Trade One: Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors

Trade 1: Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh for Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, and Andrew Bynum

I've been hearing Bosh-for-Bynum rumors for the last two years and have always dismissed them completely. I didn't see why the Lakers would give up a promising seven-footer, and I didn't see why the Raptors would give up an all-star in his mid-20s. Several things have changed since then. First, Andres Bargnani has gotten better over time, and Derek Fisher has gotten worse. The recent re-signing of him to a new contract has made Bosh a lot easier to part ways with, especially considering he doesn't really mesh well with Bargnani, since neither like to do the dirty work down low.

Fisher getting a step (or two, or three) slower is going to force the Lakers to seriously look into making a move before the deadline. I love Fisher to death, and I think its great that in the past he's put his family first before basketball, but he's just not that good anymore.

With this trade, the Lakers improve right away, but don't blow away their future. Calderon and Bosh both have five or six more good years in them, at least. I don't think this trade limits their options in any way at all, but instead gives them even more offensive firepower, and makes them nearly flawless.

For the Raptors, this trade is all about the future. Yes, they lose Calderon and Bosh, but let's be honest: They were going to lose Bosh this summer anyway. This way, they get the best young center prospect minus Dwight Howard to pair with a rapidly-developing young power forward for years to come. Another extreme positive about this trade is Bynum is signed through the 2012-13 season. The front office won't have to worry about trying to convince a superstar to stay in Canada anytime soon after this trade. Farmar, Walton, and Sasha are just thrown in for cap reasons, but they can all be integral parts of the bench rotation for the Raptors.

Trade Two: Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers

Trade 2: Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Jason Kapono and Willie Green

The Cleveland Cavaliers really don't want to trade Ilgauskas, but after losing Mo Williams for several weeks, and Delonte West possibly for the rest of the season, the Cavs need depth in the backcourt. Kapono gives them a lights-out shooter from outside who has the size to play shooting guard or small forward. He is a defensive liability, but he can straight-up shoot the ball.

Willie Green is more of a combo guard that can easily play the point guard position alongside LeBron James. Green would provide them with quality depth at both guard positions after Mo gets back.

The 76ers would do this in a heartbeat. They aren't going anywhere with their current roster, and Ilgauskas frees up some much-needed cap space. I wouldn't be surprised if there was also an unspoken agreement that Philly would immediately cut Ilgauskas so he could then return to the Cavs for the playoffs.

Trade Three: Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets

Trade 3: Marvin Williams for Shane Battier.

I think this is a very simple trade that improves both teams. For Houston, they get a much younger player who is signed to a very reasonable deal for the next four years. Williams will be making $9 million in the last year of that contract. He would be a perfect guy to put beside Trevor Ariza and let chemistry develop over the next couple of seasons. Hopefully things work out with Yao's health, because a lineup of Aaron Brooks, Ariza, Williams, Luis Scola, and Yao is pretty good on both ends of the floor.

For Atlanta, they do this trade to try and get them in to the finals this year. They cannot afford to make a major move because it might disrupt chemistry, but this is a very simple move that definitely improves the team's playoff chances. The Hawks really lack an elite wing defender, and Battier would give them that. He would also be an invaluable leader in the locker room, and a consistent three-point shooter in the corners for Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, and Jamal Crawford to hit after penetrating.

I do think Battier is a better player than Williams, and I think this trade completely hinges on how the Rockets feel about the potential that Marvin Williams has. Even if Marvin stays the same player he is today, however, it's still not a terrible deal.

Trade Four: Washington and Houston

Trade 4: Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison for Tracy McGrady

The Wizards are just flat awful, plain and simple. They made a valiant effort to put together a contending team, but it just wasn't happening. Now they are tied up long-term with three guys that just don't have enough to make a deep playoff push. The Gilbert Arenas fiasco has given them an out, though. Hopefully, for the Wizards' sake, they will be able to void Agent Zero's ridiculous contract. If so, this trade would give them gobs of cash to throw at free agents this summer.

For the Rockets, this trade is a risky thing to do. They could just let McGrady's contract expire after the season is over and try to lure whoever they want to come play in Houston. The problem with that is the two most likely candidates, Amar'e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, play the same position as one of their core players, Luis Scola.

With this trade, they would be able to play with a smaller lineup this season, starting Butler, Jamison, and Scola in the front court, and then next year be able to bring Jamison off the bench as their sixth man. I like it a lot for the Rockets, and think it would considerably improve their team, but I also have been known to overrate Caron Butler in the past, so who knows.

Trade Five: New Orleans Hornets and Chicago Bulls

Trade 5: David West for Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James

The Bulls are really making a push for the five seed in the Eastern Conference, but they need a post scorer to be a threat once they get into the playoffs. West would give them that without the Bulls losing much production already.

Joakim Noah has developed nicely and is now a good rebounder and good post defender who can hold his own with just about anybody. As good as he is at defense and rebounding, he is equally as bad on offense. He provides very little except for a couple of energy baskets a night, or points given to him by great Derrick Rose passes.

West is used to playing with a great point guard and will give them a post scorer that the Bulls will be able to throw it to in the half-court offense. For the Hornets, it gives Chris Paul an ideal pick-and-roll partner who is a lot cheaper than West, as well as a pretty big expiring contract in James. Also, Thomas is several years younger than West, and could essentially develop into a similar player.