2012 NBA Trade Deadline: Should the Portland Trail Blazers Re-Tool or Reboot?

Standing at an imperfectly even 18-18, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves on the outside looking in as the ninth seed in the Western Conference, a game and a half behind Northwest rival Denver Nuggets (20-17) for the final spot in the playoff picture.

After getting off to a hot 7-2 start atop the West, the Blazers quickly cooled off to drop 16 of their next 27 games, raising questions of the players, coaching staff and front office management.

To make matters worse, following their next two home games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Hornets, Portland embarks on a seven-game, 12-day road trip. And seeing as though they're only 5-12 on the road this season, the Blazers could easily drop five away games and completely fall out of the playoff hunt.

With the NBA Trade Deadline looming on March 15th, less than two weeks away, Portland can salvage the remnants of this season by putting together the right deal. In each of the last two seasons, the Trail Blazers have pulled the trigger on deals close to the deadline, bringing Marcus Camby to Rip City in 2010 and Gerald Wallace to the roster in 2011.

It's about time to work that magic, yet again.

Everyone not named LaMarcus Aldridge has had lackluster seasons for Portland thus far. The once reliable Gerald Wallace has become more inconsistent than lotto winners, Raymond Felton can't shoot, take care of the ball or control his emotions, and the once tantalizing Wesley Matthews has been demoted to the sixth man role because he can't put the ball on the floor.

Marcus Camby has quickly aged over the past year, and the Trail Blazer youth (Elliott Williams, Nolan Smith, Luke Babbitt) barely get enough playing time to make an impact on the game.

Oh, and coach Nate McMillan, according to several Oregonian writers, is likely on his last leg as Portland's coach.

Jamal Crawford, God bless his soul, is being asked to do something different each game, and interim GM Chad Buchannon (yep, the Trail Blazers still don't have an official GM pulling the strings) somehow, someway screwed up negotiation with the budding, young stud, Nicolas Batum.

Things are crumbling in Portland and the only way to fix it is to a) let its several expiring contracts expire and rebuild in the offseason or b) craft a trade to get the team back over the hump.

Let's evaluate both options..

Assist the New Jersey Nets in their endeavors for Dwight Howard

Earlier in the year, the Trail Blazers were rumored to be part of a deal that would have sent Gerald Wallace to Orlando, Dwight Howard to New Jersey, Brook Lopez to Orlando, but more importantly a plethora of first round draft picks to Portland.

There are rumors that said trade is being re-investigated, and if such rumors pan out to be true, Portland needs to do everything in its power to help pull the trigger.

At 30 years old, Gerald Wallace is averaging 13.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG while eating up an $11 million contract. Even more unsettling, according to the Oregonian's Jason Quick, Wallace has been seen "smiling and joking after losses."

Maybe he's been baptized into a losing lifestyle from playing in Charlotte for so long, but there's no excuse for having a smirk on your face after being part of the problem as to why your team is losing so many games. Wallace has a player option at the end of this season, so seeing as though no other teams are probably going to shell out $11 mil for an underachieving, aging forward, the Blazers need to deal him

Ditching him not only frees up lots of cap space, but it gets the Trail Blazers draft picks which could turn into solid players moving forward.

Make a Power Move For the Boston Celtics' PG or the Phoenix Suns' Vet

Rajon Rondo: PG, Boston Celtics 14.2 PPG, 9.6 APG, 1.5 STLPG
Steve Nash: PG, Phoenix Suns 13.9 PPG, 11.1 APG

We all hear the Rondo trade rumors out there. Who's to say the the Trail Blazers couldn't put together a nice package to swing the Celtics' franchise centerpiece into Rip City?

The Trade: Portland has to come off the expiring contracts of both Raymond Felton and Nicolas Batum, as well as a 2012 and a 2013 first round draft pick, but getting a PG as smart and crafty as three-time NBA All Star, Rajon Rondo, is worth the pain.

While he comes with some personality issues, there's no question than Rajon Rondo is a guy who can fix the problems in Portland in a heartbeat. First and foremost, his ability to slash and finish at the rim would create ridiculously open mid range J's for LaMarcus Aldridge.

However, if they can't get their hands on the Celtics' crafty PG, they should try everything in their power to make a run at Steve Nash. According to OregonLive.com's Sean Meagher, Portland is desperately trying to "pry away" the veteran PG from the Phoenix Suns.

While the Suns have repeatedly announced that they won't trade Nash unless he requests a trade, I'm sure the right trade will leave Phoenix with no choice.

The Trade: Ditch Raymond Felton and unfortunately part ways with Nicolas Batum and, if they have to, entice the Suns with a 2013 second round draft pick. It seems like they're giving up quite a bit for a PG with at the most two years left under his belt.  But make no mistake, Steve Nash is a game changer right off the back.

Nash's ability to run a pick-and-pop with LaMarcus Aldridge, one of the game's best shooting big men, would immediately turn the floundering Portland Trail Blazers into contenders. Surrounding him with streaky shooters like Jamal Crawford and Wes Matthews would create for some very interesting games in Portland as well.

The only thing: Nash is a defensive liability. Rondo is not.

Give Rookie SG Elliot Williams More PT Off the Bench

 Sure. With a rotation like Jamal Crawford, Wesley Matthews and Raymond Felton, it'd be nearly impossible to find some minutes for Elliot Williams, right?

WRONG. Here's a fun fact: In two of the three games that he's played 10 or more minutes, the Trail Blazers' rookie has posted double-digit scoring.

Another fun fact?  Williams is tied with Nic Batum for Portland's second highest Player Efficiency Rating behind only LaMarcus Aldridge at 19.7 (L.A.'s is 23.2).

Elliot Williams has proven to be a devastatingly efficient scorer. Whether it's his mid range J or his ability to attack the paint, Williams just has a natural knack for getting the ball in the basket.

It's time for coach McMillan to give his rookie the green light and let him show the fans what he's made of. It might just save his job.

Standing Pat..

 Maybe one of the few pluses for Portland (if you can call it that), is that it has a bunch of expiring contracts on its payroll.

Marcus Camby ($12.9 million), Greg Oden ($1.5 million), Nic Batum ($2.2 million) and should they choose not to deal Raymond Felton ($7.6 million) are all goners at the end of this season. Jamal Crawford ($5.3 million) has a player option, but can opt to test the free agency in the off season as well.

Should they trade Gerald Wallace, the Blazers would have enough money to go after a top tier PG in the free agency like Deron Williams (should he walk from New Jersey), or a decent one like Jameer Nelson, Goran Dragic or Jonny Flynn.

If Portland decided to hang onto Crawford, deal Wallace for cap room and draft picks, and let the rest of its contracts expire, it would free up a ridiculous $34.7 million of cap space and be able to sign any "marquee" player it wanted to put alongside LaMarcus Aldridge.

That's enough to pick up Dwight Howard's Early Termination Option of $19 million and still have room left to sign one of the PG's I listed above.

As of now, Portland Trail Blazers' owner Paul Allen and interim GM Chad Buchannon have a lot of thinking to do. The grand vision of a Big Three with Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden has crumbled, leaving L.A. to fend for himself along with a stockpile of role players.

What was once thought of as a team stuffed with talent has proven to be nothing more than a gang of guys who are OK with a sub .500 record.

It's time to restart.

What do you think?

Should Portland make trades to shake up the roster, or should it wait until the offseason, let contracts expire and start fresh building around LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews?

Kristian Winfield is a Featured Columnist for the Portland Trail Blazers on the Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @BriscoXCI.