The 11 Best NBA Players to Build a Franchise Around

With the trade rumors circulating around the NBA regarding teams trying to pull Dwight Howard away from Orlando in hopes that he will become their franchise player, I figured it was time to rank the best franchise talent in the NBA.

Not every NBA team has a true franchise player, and that's mainly because true franchise-building talent is so hard to come by. 

Talent like LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard doesn't come by very often, and that is what makes franchise talent so absolutely valuable.

Here's a ranking of the top 11 players in the NBA that franchises could build their futures around.

11. Golden State Warriors Shooting Guard Monta Ellis

Career Stats: 19.4 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.7 RPG, 46.7% FGP

If you take out Monta Ellis' rookie year, during which he only started three games and only averaged 6.8 PPG, Ellis' career points per game average is an even more impressive 21.5.

Either way, there's no doubting that Ellis is a solid NBA shooting guard who can also run the point if the Warriors need him to do so.

What makes Ellis a franchise player is his ability to take over a game offensively with his explosive first step and his silky-smooth jumper. Ellis would be higher on this list if he was a better defender, but he's not, so that's why he starts off at No. 11.

Monta Ellis is under contract with the Warriors until the end of the 2013-2014 NBA season. When his contract is up, I expect him to be a very hot commodity on the free-agent market because of his franchise talent.

10. New York Knicks Small Forward Carmelo Anthony

Career Stats: 24.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 45.9% FGP

Carmelo Anthony has only made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs one time out of seven overall tries with two different teams.

While his inability to get his team past the first round of the playoffs is alarming, it is at least impressive that Carmelo has been able to lead both the Nuggets and the Knicks to the playoffs in his seasons with those teams.

Anthony lacks the elite defense it takes to be higher on this list as a franchise player, but his ability to score and rebound with ease makes him one of the best players in the NBA today, a player that any team would be lucky to build its franchise on.

With a mix of talent on both the Knicks and Nuggets, Anthony has been able to create playoff-contending teams, and that will continue to be the case whether he is on the Knicks or another team in the NBA.

Anthony is under contract with the Knicks through the 2014-15 season, and while that might mean he never plays for another team, Melo will always be considered a top-level franchise player.

9. Los Angeles Clippers Power Forward Blake Griffin

Career Stats: 22.6 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 51.0% FGP

Blake Griffin is the definition of a franchise player—a player that a team makes its foundation on and whose skill set it brings in talent to supplement. The Clippers did just that this offseason when they traded away solid depth on their roster for another star player, Chris Paul.

What makes Blake Griffin so special is his rare mix of size, speed and strength. Griffin's athleticism makes him a once-in-a-lifetime NBA talent, and the Clippers were wise to make him happy by bringing in Chris Paul.

The more Griffin works on developing his jump shot and his post moves in the paint, the more he will move up on this list, singlehandedly turning around the Clippers' struggling franchise.

Griffin's ability to rebound the ball and dominate in the fast break helps him stand out in the NBA, and that is exactly why the Clippers made him their franchise player, signing him to a four-year deal that keeps him a Clipper through the 2013-14 NBA season. The Clippers would be idiotic to let Griffin leave Los Angeles, but if he hits the free-agent market in 2014, he will be the hottest commodity of the year.

8. Portland Trail Blazers Center LaMarcus Aldridge

Career Stats: 17.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 49.2% FGP

LaMarcus Aldridge, at the young age of 26, has developed into a franchise-type player for the Portland Trail Blazers.

When Brandon Roy retired and Greg Oden announced his nearly season-ending injury, many thought the Trail Blazers wouldn't be relevant in the 2011-12 NBA season. Aldridge apparently had other plans, leading Portland to a solid 7-2 record so far.

What makes Aldridge a franchise player isn't just his youth, but also his ability to dominate other NBA centers with his ability to step outside of the paint and hit mid-range jump shots. Just imagine the kind of career Aldridge could have if he was teamed up with an All-Star-caliber point guard like Chris Paul or Derrick Rose.

Aldridge is under contract with the Trail Blazers through the 2014-2015 NBA season, and if he continues to produce at the level he has throughout his career so far, Aldridge will be a target for teams looking for a veteran franchise player. Portland would be wise to add some more legitimate talent to its roster this offseason to help ensure that Aldridge will remain a Trail Blazer for the rest of his career.

7. Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard Kobe Bryant

Career Stats: 25.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 45.5% FGP

Kobe Bryant is 33 years old, and that is why he comes in at No. 7 on this list. I know Kobe is still firing on all cylinders, as evidenced by his 48-point performance against the Phoenix Suns, but his age and health issues that are bound to catch up to him keep him from being higher on this set of power rankings.

In his 13-year career, Bryant has benefited from having legitimate talent on the court with him like Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Having that talent on the court with him didn't keep him from producing at an incredible rate, as he consistently hit clutch shots and closed out games with his lethal jump shot.

There's no doubt that Bryant is one of the greatest of all time, and he might deserve to be higher on this list, as he's a solidified franchise player for the Lakers. Because of his age, though, the times of dreaming about building a new franchise around Kobe are over.

Kobe is under contract with the Lakers through the 2013-14 NBA season, and because of his age, he won't be the hottest franchise commodity on the free-agent market if the Lakers actually let him test out free agency.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves Power Forward/Center Kevin Love

Career Stats: 15.4 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 45.9% FGP

Kevin Love's career stats don't do his actual talent justice. Over the past two years, Love has averaged 21.9 PPG, 15.0 RPG and 2.2 APG, which is without a doubt the kind of production that any team would be lucky to have as the foundation for its future. 

Love is on a young, inexperienced and struggling Minnesota Timberwolves team that is currently sitting with a 3-7 overall record. While the Timberwolves are definitely making good moves for their future with point guard Ricky Rubio and rookie forward Derrick Williams, unless they are able to bring in another All-Star player the caliber of Love, I don't think Love will be on their roster for much longer.

Love is under contract with the Timberwolves through the end of the 2012-13 NBA season, and unless the T-Wolves become a playoff contender, he will hit the free-agency market with an incredible amount of interest. Love is the versatile and intelligent kind of franchise player that could easily be the foundation of another NBA franchise at the start of the 2013-14 NBA season.

5. Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard

Career Stats: 18.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 57.8% FGP

Dwight Howard has been the face of the Orlando Magic for the last seven NBA seasons, including the 2011-12 season, and it's clear that he's sick of that role. Howard wants out of Orlando, and while I don't truly understand why he's so unhappy, he will undoubtedly make whoever he signs with in the 2012 offseason a very happy team.

Whether or not you like the way Howard has handled his upcoming free agency and his trade requests, there is no doubt that he is one of the most dominant and athletic centers in the NBA.

What makes Howard so special isn't just the fact that he scores at will in the paint—it's his ability to alter the flow of the game when he is on defense. Howard has been the Defensive Player of the Year for the last three seasons, and that is something that separates him from other franchise players.

Whether Howard gets traded before the March 15th trade deadline or signs with another team in the 2012 free-agency period, one thing is certain: Whichever NBA team gets him will find its franchise player in Howard.

4. Miami Heat Shooting Guard Dwyane Wade

Career Stats: 25.4 PPG, 6.3 APG, 5.1 RPG, 48.4% FGP

Dwyane Wade has been one of the most complete players in the NBA for the last eight years. Without legitimate talent on the roster aside from Shaquille O'Neal, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA championship.

In the years that followed, after Shaq left the Heat with no talent on the roster, Wade consistently led the Heat to playoff appearances with his dominant play on both sides of the ball.

What makes Wade such a special player is that he is able to run the point, play the shooting guard position or take advantage of mismatches with undersized small forwards. Wade is a very versatile player with an incredible ability to close out games.

Wade is locked up with the Heat until he reaches his player option year at the end of the 2013-14 NBA season. Unless things go terribly wrong in the Heat's next two seasons, I don't see Wade even thinking about leaving Miami in the player option year of his contract.

Wade has been the entirety of the Heat's franchise for the past eight years, and that will not change, even with LeBron James on the court with him.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder Small Forward Kevin Durant

Career Stats: 25.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 46.2% FGP

Kevin Durant is an absolute monster when it comes to scoring the ball. In only four complete seasons in the NBA, Durant has won back-to-back scoring titles, which is something very hard to come by in the NBA.

Sure, Durant doesn't really understand how to play defense, and he's not the best player in the NBA when it comes to passing the ball, but if you need someone to put points on the board, Durant is your man.

Durant, who is really the foundation of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has turned the Thunder into a legitimate title contender, reaching the Western Conference finals last year only to lose in five games to the Dallas Mavericks. If Durant ever starts playing defense, he could very well move into the No. 1 spot on this list because of his incredible range and ability to score.

The Oklahoma City Thunder found their franchise player in Durant, and they made sure that he wouldn't go anywhere when they signed him through the 2015-16 NBA season. The Thunder would be smart to continue to add talent to their roster to ensure that their franchise player is happy for the next few years. As we've seen in Orlando with Dwight Howard, the last thing you want is to make your franchise player unhappy.

2. Chicago Bulls Point Guard Derrick Rose

Career Stats: 20.9 PPG, 6.8 APG, 3.9 RPG, 46.8% FGP

The 2011 NBA MVP, one of the most complete players in the NBA, has become the franchise player for the Chicago Bulls.

It's a rarity in the NBA when you find a player who can run the point, take the ball into the paint against dominant big men and hit jumpers from beyond the arc. That is exactly what the Bulls have in Derrick Rose, and that is also what makes him one of the best players in the NBA to build a franchise around.

The Bulls have done a great job of bringing in talent to build their roster around the specific skills of Rose. As he has proven in his short time with the Chicago Bulls, Rose can really do whatever his team needs of him, whether it is to score 26-plus points or dish out 10-plus assists.

Rose is a truly special talent, and the Bulls realized that, ultimately signing him to a five-year extension through the 2016-17 season that is worth $94.8 million. There is absolutely no way that the Bulls will let Derrick Rose ever put on another NBA jersey, because he's the kind of franchise player that comes along once in a lifetime.

1. Miami Heat Power Forward LeBron James

Career Stats: 27.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 7.0 APG, 48.0% FGP

Whether you love or hate LeBron James, there is no doubting the fact that he is one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball.

James is arguably the best player in the NBA today, but we won't get into that here. What makes him better than players like Kevin Durant and other NBA stars is the fact that he plays a complete style of basketball, scoring at will, dishing the rock with ease, grabbing boards over bigger players and locking down on defense night in and night out.

The Cavaliers lost their franchise player when they failed to bring in the talent they needed to to turn themselves into a legitimate NBA title contender. Every NBA team can learn a lesson from Cleveland by seeing just how valuable franchise players truly are.

James, like the other members of the "Big Three" on the Heat, is under contract with the Heat until his player option year at the end of the 2013-14 NBA season. It is highly unlikely that James will leave the Heat at any point in the rest of his career, mainly because it would ruin his legacy even more than leaving Cleveland did.

LeBron James is without a doubt the cream of the crop when it comes to players that franchises can build their future around, and the Heat have done just that.