NBA Trade Rumors: 8 Stars Still on the Trading Block

A month and a day from now, the trade deadline will be upon us to signify the final day an NBA team can make a trade.

Beware the Ides of March. Seriously, watch out, because it's usually the day before that most teams get their trades done. Even if this is a condensed season, there will still be plenty of trades to look forward to as teams look to stock up for the upcoming postseason run or the star-studded 2012 offseason that's set to feature some elite names.

Those elite names also happen to be at the center of incessant trade rumors. Specific players from the Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets are considered the franchise players of their squad, but could very well end up wearing different uniforms by the end of the year.

Whether they've grown tired or losing or of not making it as far into the postseason as they preferred, the majority of these players are disgruntled. Some of them will be nothing more than collateral damage for a team where they are either expendable or never truly desired to be looked at as a key rotation player.

If anything, some of these trades might be doing these guys a favor. They could be going from bottom feeder to championship bound overnight; it's just the way these trades work out in favor for you sometimes.

So let's take a look at these eight stars who are still on the trade block.

Dwight Howard

The Kim Kardashian of NBA tabloids, Dwight Howard can't seem to get his name off the headlines of every trade rumor article.

In fact, he gets the honor of being placed first on this list as well since he seems to crave the attention. Howard has listed Chicago, New Jersey, Orlando, the L.A. Lakers and Dallas as possible future destinations. It seems he begins to favor whichever city he's playing in that night.

It's OK with the Orlando Magic as long as they're winning, but you can feel the fans are seething that their support might be falling on deaf ears. Despite getting the support of thousands of adoring fans and feeling sorry for himself that he could be leaving soon, it certainly hasn't stopped Howard from continuing to reiterate the point that he wants to be traded.

Not much has been heard from the Magic—aside from standing by the belief they're keeping Howard—any other team interested or Dwight Howard himself over the past week.

Any place would be a great fit for Howard and it may be the smart move for the Magic to trade him while he's still hot and when they can get quality pieces in return.

Steve Nash

With a 12-15 record, the Phoenix Suns have 12 more victories in the win column than they would have if Steve Nash weren't the floor general.

It seriously appears Nash could play until he was 50. There's no letting up on one of the NBA's top ironmen. Even at the ripe age of 38, Nash is arguably a top five-caliber point guard that still has the same intensity, drive and knowledge that was pumping through his body a decade ago. The only difference is that Nash might be even better than he was then.

Nash is currently averaging 15 points on 56 percent shooting, converting on 45 percent of his three-point attempts and dishing out 10 dimes per game. On a team where Marcin Gortat and a 39-year-old-Grant Hill are two of the top scoring contributors, it's a miracle Nash has those stats and the Suns with a near .500 record.

He's said in the past he doesn't have any interest in getting traded, but it was recently brought up that the Suns wouldn't be reluctant to trading him if he asked for it. It's a dangerous thing to say, but an extremely classy one by the Suns organization to offer Nash the chance to play for a team that will contend for a championship.

Ramon Sessions

He may not possess the star power of Steve Nash or Dwight Howard, yet Ramon Sessions would look like an All-Star if he ended up signing with the team that's openly pursuing him.

Currently playing as the Cleveland Cavaliers sixth man, I have little doubt in my mind Sessions would much rather prefer playing as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Even if the Cavaliers aren't all that bad, Sessions is being offered an immediate starting job and a spot in a backcourt with future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant while also learning the ropes from Derek Fisher.

The Lakers are extremely interested in obtaining Sessions via trade before the deadline in March.

In his fifth year, Sessions is already playing on his third team. He played his first two years with the Milwaukee Bucks after being taken with the 56th pick in the 2007 draft, signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves and played with them for a season before eventually landing a roster spot with the Cavaliers in the trade that sent him to Cleveland along with Ryan Hollins.

Soon enough, Sessions could already be on his fourth team in five seasons. We know he's not Chris Paul, but he's certainly a step up from any option the Lakers currently have.

He's currently averaging 10 points and six assists per game as Kyrie Irving's backup and the first option off the Cavaliers bench.

Chris Kaman

The New Orleans Hornets recently allowed Chris Kaman to return to the team in lieu of a few injuries to certain big men.

That doesn't mean Kaman isn't still up for grabs. In fact, he's already being looked at by a couple teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would love to have a solid offensive big man in Kaman to run the floor with Kyrie Irving. Despite injuries plaguing three of the past four years of his career, it hasn't deterred many teams from taking at look at the former All-Star.

After all, centers like Kaman come around once in awhile. He's one of the top scoring centers and has averaged as much as 19 points per game. Having a center who can score inside and from the mid-range is one of the greatest advantages a team in the NBA can have today.

Going against the average center that usually posts up less than 10 points and 10 boards per, Kaman would give any team an advantage in the majority of their contests. Injuries are a risk with every big man, but there are teams who are desperate enough to make a trade for an injury-prone center like the former Los Angeles Clippers anchor.

So why don't the Hornets want him? For one, they'd rather have Emeka Okafor, a center who has maintained good health. Secondly, Kaman's contract runs out this year and the Hornets would prefer to get something in return before allowing him to walk as a free agent. Third, he's a pure center and they can't force the issue by making him a power forward or having him come off the bench.

Rajon Rondo

This trade involving Pau Gasol and Rajon Rondo might make sense for both sides, but it's absolutely insane to think the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers would work on a trade of this magnitude.

This is the equivalent to the United States exchanging nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It's the same as the New York Yankees trading Derek Jeter to the Boston Red Sox for David Ortiz. It would be like Homer Simpson "borrowing" Ned Flanders' power tools and actually bringing them back.

It just doesn't seem right, but we'll have to focus on business here and, quite frankly, this is a solid move for both teams if it does occur.

We'll get to the Los Angeles Lakers in a minute. For the Boston Celtics, they might be losing out on their All-Star point guard, but they do end up getting one of the league's most dominant and crafty power forwards in Pau Gasol. The two-time NBA champion was a staple of all three Laker teams that went to the NBA Finals and was arguably the Finals MVP in the title win over the Celtics in 2010.

The Celtics need to begin investing in youth. Rondo isn't the type of player that's going to be leading the Celtics to the title anytime soon. He's great on his own, but he has trouble with his jump shot and there will be defenses that adjust and defend it well.

With Gasol, the Celtics are not only able to replace Kevin Garnett, but they can then use Brandon Bass or Jeff Green as trade bait for a possible replacement for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

Pau Gasol

As much as this trade works for the Boston Celtics, it doesn't even come close to matching how well it would work out for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rajon Rondo may not pour in up to 20 points per game like Gasol could, but Rondo could match that with the amount of dimes he gives out per. Rondo's coming off a stellar 2010-'11 campaign where he averaged a career-high 11 assists per and is near the top of the league leaders once again with nearly 10 assists per this year.

At the moment, there is no bigger need for the Lakers than obtaining a point guard in some way. They have been getting burnt by every opposing point guard from Jeremy Lin to Derrick Rose and they might just be desperate enough to negotiate with their mortal enemies in the Celtics.

Tough to blame them, though. I'd go to those lengths if it meant replacing Fisher's lumbering up and down the court to score five points and dishing out two assists per game. It's just not worth it anymore to see the five-time NBA champion continue to struggle on both sides of the ball on a team that actually wants to win a title.

Add Rondo and you not only get Kobe Bryant for more open looks, but for Andrew Bynum as well. The Lakers haven't had an inside-outside duo of that caliber in awhile and Rondo would make Bynum look a whole lot better than he has to start his career. The Lakers can afford to lose Gasol for Rondo since they already have a quality big man holding the fort down.

The Lakers also set themselves up for the future. They're an extremely old team with nothing but 30-year-olds in the lineup with the exception of Bynum. Adding Rondo would give this team some much-needed youth, as well as a player who can actually hold his own on both sides of the floor.

Brandon Jennings

"I am going to keep my options open, knowing that the time is coming up. I'm doing my homework on big-market teams."

That was a direct quote from Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings. If I wasn't too sure, I'd say he might not like it too much in the dreary cold of Wisconsin. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened to Milwaukee as its former first-round pick Yi Jianlian also felt the same way upon knowing that he was going north.

However, losing Jennings would be a lot tougher on the Bucks than losing Yi. Jennings has been the Bucks' leading scorer for his first two years in the league and has been one of the only reasons why that team remained somewhat relevant following the tragic injuries suffered by Michael Redd.

Jennings played a key role in the "Fear the Deer" campaign in 2009 when the Bucks became one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the second half before injuries took over and knocked them out of the first round.

Judging from how Jennings is sounding off on how he feels about re-signing with the Bucks when he becomes a free agent in 2014, it appears he'd much rather be on a team that's going to get him noticed.

No trades have been brought up yet, but it's pretty much established the Bucks are willing to listen to offers from those scary big-market teams that Jennings is enamored about.

Deron Williams

Dwight Howard in Orlando, Carmelo Anthony in Denver, LeBron James in Cleveland and Chris Paul in New Orleans all shared the same problem. They were stuck in dead-end positions with their teams. They recognized they were All-Stars and elite stars, so they either milk more money from their team or just depart for one that's going to offer something near a championship.

None of those players have anything on what Deron Williams is dealing with in New Jersey. Those players who thought they had it bad with the teams that drafted them have no idea what type of pain Williams is going through with the Nets. He got traded from a perennial postseason team that usually makes it to the second round of the playoffs to a team that still can't break the 10-win threshold.

So it's tough to blame Williams that he wants to leave the Nets this offseason. They've been playing without Brook Lopez the whole year and it's really beginning to take a toll on Williams and the Nets. Playing with rookie MarShon Brooks as your second scoring option and Kris Humphries as your main post threat could drive any man insane.

It's no wonder Williams, as well as Dwight Howard, are being involved with the Dallas Mavericks.

Williams hasn't given the Nets any idea on what he plans on doing, but judging by the team's performance over his tenure there, I'd say he'd give his current team a negative review. The only way Williams even considers staying in New Jersey for another few years would only be if it acquires Howard or a number of players who could make a lasting impact.

The Mavericks wouldn't sound too bad with Williams, Howard and a few more years of Dirk Nowitzki.