NBA Trade Deadline 2012: Ranking Teams Most Likely to Make Deals

We are now one week and one day away from the trade deadline and the total number of trades made is at a whopping zero. That leaves the rumor to trade ratio at infinity. After the first trade actually goes through, it will be cut down to about two million to one. 

That will happen. Sooner or later there will be less speculation about what might happen and actual analysis of what has happened. 

Here are the teams most likely to make a trade and what they might be doing before the trade deadline. 

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are seeming to dig into the position that they aren't going to trade Dwight Howard. It's not ingrained, but that seems to be the read on things. That doesn't mean they've cut off all trade talks, though. 

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, 

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The March 15 trade deadline is approaching, and the Magic are still telling teams to spare them the trade calls unless they’re offering a player to join Howard. Martins is a businessman, and sources say he played a part in rejecting the deal that general manager Otis Smith would’ve done with the New Jersey Nets in January. Martins has a chance to be the hero who saves the franchise star in Orlando, a fast-coming executive fighting the clock on Howard’s opt-out.

"

If the Magic do make a move, it will be to land a teammate for Howard, not to get rid of him. Yet, there's this problem that they don't have a lot of great assets right now other than Howard. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are shopping Michael Beasley hard. The problem is, when you shop someone hard you tend to drop his value a bit. Still, when you look at the quality of player that Beasley is you have to figure that they can get something for him. 

They want to move in the direction of Derrick Williams, which makes a lot of sense if you take into consideration they drafted him with the second pick in this year's draft. 

HoopsWorld reports, 

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Before the 2011-12 season began it was obvious one of the biggest weakness of the Minnesota Timberwolves would be at the shooting guard position. As the season goes on, it becomes even more clear that something must be done to address the situation, which is why forward Michael Beasley has heard his name in numerous trade rumors. 

"

Look for the 'Wolves to move Beasley for a shooting guard before the trade deadline. 

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are shopping a couple of players, Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton. They are drawing interest from the Clippers on Crawford, as well as from Minnesota. There are drawing interest from the Lakers on Felton.

The team seems to be in turmoil right now and the question now is whether to just bust the whole thing up or try and get better. They have a lot of talent, the question is whether they can get the cohesiveness. 

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been rumored to be willing to trade any of the "Big Three" of Kevin Garentt, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, as well as their current best player Rajon Rondo. 

A "source" is reported by the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy as saying, 

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“They’re desperate to (trade Rondo),” the source said of the Celtics “He’s the only real asset they have. The other guys, the Big Three, aren’t assets at this point. The problem they now face is that he’s an undesirable. This league is full of undesirables, and some are more talented. You can probably get (Minnesota Timberwolves forward) Michael Beasley for less than Rondo, but he’s another guy people don’t want.

“All I know right now is that if Ainge is calling me right now, I have him over a barrel."

"

You can control the message coming out of your own front office, but the message coming out of the other front offices is not so easy. It's pretty evident that the word around the league is that the Lakers are shopping Rondo a little harder than they are admitting to. 

There's little question that the Celtics want to make a trade. The question is can they make a trade?

Rondo has a great contract and is a very good player (I cannot call a guard without a jumpshot great, no matter how good the rest of his game is), but his personality has made him difficult to trade. Ainge wants to think he's holding royal flush when he's got a pair of fives. 

The trade may not happen just because Ainge refuses to be realistic about the value of what he is selling. 

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are rumored to be going after any quality shooting guard available. They tried hard to get J.R. Smith, but struck out on that. 

Now, they are looking at landing someone through trade. According to HoopsWorld, "the Clippers have expressed interest in Ray Allen and Jamal Crawford.  

It's almost as though the Clippers have saved up every good move a team can make for 40 years and they are using them all this year. Expect them to make a trade, and a great trade this year. 

It's just too bad that Donald Sterling is still the owner...of anything. 

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are going to have to do one of two things. They are going to have either trade for someone or trade away Deron Williams before the trade deadline. 

According to the Newark Star-Ledger,

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Speaking to reporters a day after the Nets announced that center Brook Lopez would miss the next three weeks with a sprained right ankle, Nets general manager Billy King said he still intends to be active at the March 15 trade deadline.

Lopez, of course, is the centerpiece of King’s efforts to trade for Orlando’s Dwight Howard. “I know the speculation is, ‘What do we do now?’’’ King said before the Nets, minus Lopez, were blown out by the Miami Heat, 108-78, last night at American Airlines Arena. “But we’ve got a good young center (in Lopez); we’ve got a great point guard (Deron Williams). There’s other things I’ll look to do. “

We have flexibility cap-wise,’’ King continued. “But at the end of the day, I want a healthy Brook Lopez and (don’t want to) worry about making trades at this point in regards of moving Brook Lopez. It’s about trying to add to this team.’’

"

It looks like the Nets are going to try and get more pieces to build around. Their best chance is to convince Deron Williams they want to build a winner.

Wiliams does have incentives to stay. He can get more money there and he can get more endorsements with the move to Brooklyn. If he can get a team around him that he feels can win, he might stay after all.

With all the rookie and "rookieish" point guards like RIcky Rubio, Kyrie Irving and Jeremy Lin getting all the attention, the next best rookie, MarShon Brooks, is getting lost in the shuffle, but he's a quality player. 

Imagine if the Nets won the lottery, which isn't impossible. Imagine Anthony Davis on this team. This team might be bad, but they have a number of pieces in place. A couple of good moves and they could be an elite team. 

Los Angeles Lakers

With the amount of talking the Lakers have done to every team in the league it seems, there is almost no chance this is the same roster on March 16. 

The Lakers have discussed with Pau Gasol where they are at with trading him.

They've discussed trading for Ramon Sessions. 

They've discussed trading for Raymond Felton. 

They've discussed trading for Michael Beasley. 

You just don't have that many discussions and not do anything. The Lakers will make a move. It might not be a good one, but they'll make a move.