NBA Superstars: Top Franchise Players In The Game Today

1 of 14

Imagine you had a five-year contract to hand out to any current NBA Superstar, and were guaranteed that they would stay with your team for the full term. Who would you choose?

A player from the 2003 Class? A player in his prime, or still really young? Here are the Top 12 current franchise players in the NBA today.

12. Brandon Roy

Due to much criticism, I have decided to include Brandon Roy, a consistent player good for 24 points a game, and the ideal leader of a young Portland team.

11. Derrick Rose

Rose is the youngest on this list, and has made significant progress since being drafted first overall last season.

He's currently scoring about 20 points a game and dishing out six assists. He's the main piece in the Chicago Bulls puzzle, who should make the playoffs this season for sure.

10. Joe Johnson

Johnson is 28 years old, very explosive, and is a great leader for any team. He'll get you a consistent flow of 23 points a night with five assists and five rebounds, plus he should hold up very well into his 30s.

9. Al Jefferson

Jefferson was traded for Kevin Garnett three years ago, and he has become essentially KG 2.0: An elite post-up player on Minnesota scoring 20 points a game with 10 rebounds.

Jefferson is 25 years old, and despite missing a large chunk of last season, he played the entire 82 games just two years ago.

8. Kobe Bryant

As Bill Simmons says in his new book, having an elite player for two or three years is better than having a pretty good player for an extended period of time.

Any team with Kobe Bryant is a contender for the championship. He scores at an intense clip, 27 ppg this season so far, as well as filling the other areas of the score sheet with decent numbers.

7. Carmelo Anthony

Anthony is scoring at a career-high pace, leading the NBA this year at 29.7 ppg.

Anthony is just 25 years old and in his sixth season in the NBA. He is just now entering the prime of his career.

6. Chris Bosh

Bosh is currently carrying Toronto to a top-seeded playoff birth, proving that if he has a few quality players around him, he can bring his team the goods.

He's 25 and has plenty more prime years.

5. Dwight Howard

Howard is easily the best center in the league, and while he does need a secondary scorer to really carry a team, he's a great player and excellent defender, and only 24 years of age.

4. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is already a budding superstar, he's 6'9" and can post people up, but can move as fast as anyone on the court. He's only 21 and has potential to sweep a few MVPs away from LBJ and company.

3. Dwyane Wade

Many people will cringe at this selection below Chris Paul, but it must be brought up that Wade is already 28, and probably only has two more years of his prime.