2012 NBA Trade Deadline: 8 Trades to Change the NBA Landscape Beyond March 15

1) The Magic trade Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu to the Knicks for Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler.

Why the Magic do it: Howard is gone at the of the season and Turkoglu's contract is a disaster.

Why the Knicks do it: Melo is a malcontent and not a team player while Chandler is overpaid.

Why it makes sense: For the Magic, they get back two quality players so they do not have to go in full out tank mode. Chandler is a defensive anchor and Melo gets to dominate the ball again. For the Knicks, they have to absorb the awful Hedo and his awful contract but they get the best player in the deal and Howards presence cleans up all of Amare's defensive mistakes.

Who wins: Everybody. Howard gets his big market, Melo gets out from under D'Antoni, the Magic don't lose Howard for nothing, and the Knicks get the second best player in the NBA.

1a) The Magic trade J.J. Redick and Quentin Richardson to the Mavericks for Lamar Odom.

*This trade is made assuming trade 1 has already been completed.

Why the Magic do it: They add a versatile frontcourt player to partner with Melo and Chandler and still keep Anderson.

Why the Mavs do it: Odom has been a nightmare for Big D this year, pack him a soother and some diapers and ship him away. 

Why it makes sense: The Magic pull a quick retool and have a decent top eight to compete in this years playoffs. If the experiment doesn't work out, Odom's $8.9 million comes off the books this summer. For the Mavs (and Khloe) waiting for Odom's contract to expire is simply not an option. In return, they get a tough SG/SF on the cheap who is built for playoff basketball and a marksman who should find plenty of open shots in the Mavs offense. 

Who wins: I don't know if anyone really wins but at least Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban keep their sanity.

2) The Trailblazers trade Gerald Wallace and Kurt Thomas to the Hawks for Josh Smith.

Why the Trailblazers do it: Who wouldn't want Josh Smith?

Why the Hawks do it: With the word that Smith wants out, why not get something in return before that famously hot temper destroys his trade value.

Why it makes sense: The Blazers get the best player in the deal and one of the best players in the NBA this season. Also a Smith/Aldridge pairing looks very nice and opens things up for the outside shooters.  The Hawks get the guy who was Josh Smiths prototype in Wallace as he plays both ends of the floor and fills a stat sheet like Smith (although he doesn't fill it as much). The Hawks also get some frontcourt depth and a tough playoff tested vet in KT.

Who wins: The Hawks. While the Blazers get the best player it may be too late to salvage a season that has just started to slip away, while the Hawks may have shored themselves up for the playoffs.   

2a) The Bulls trade Kyle Korver to the Blazers for Jamal Crawford.

*This trade would work best if Trade 2 is also completed but could still work regardless.

Why the Bulls do it: The get a quality second scored to help ease the offensive burden on Rose.

Why the Blazers do it: The Crawford experiment is not working in Portland.

Why it makes sense: As good as Korver has been for the Bulls, he cannot create his own shot.  Crawford can provide instant offense off the bench and his ability to break down the offense can open up the offensive boards, which is just what second unit players like Gibson and Asik thrive off of.  The Blazers could use some outside shooting, especially if the first trade was pulled off.

Who wins: Both teams. These guys get paid the exact same money, for the exact number of years (assuming Crawford doesn't opt out after this year) and they fill a void that each team needs.

3) The Celtics trade Ray Allen to the Clippers for Mo Williams and Brian Cook.

Why the Celtics do it: They get a player who is younger and cheaper with a $1.2 million contract that will come off the books this off season.

Why the Clipper do it: They need shooters. BADLY.

Why it makes sense: While Allen is the better shooter at this point in his career, he can't create for himself and is more of a spot-up shooter. Williams, although not a better shooter, is a better scorer at this stage of his career and he can create his own shot. The Clippers need a proven outside threat to open up the lane for Griffin and Paul's drives. Allen is also in the final year of his contract ($10 million), and they could probably resign him on the cheap and use the rest to spend on another free agent to shore up their depth.

Who wins: Clippers. They get a shooter to spread the floor and cap flexibility next year.

4) The Raptors trade Jose Calderon and Aaron Gray to the Hornets for Chris Kaman.

Why the Raptors do it: Kaman's contract comes off the books this year giving them an extra $14 million in cap space this summer.

Why the Hornets do it: Calderon is a solid if not spectacular point guard that will help get the young players easy baskets.

Why it makes sense: Calderon is clearly not the point guard of the Raptors, so hand the reigns over to Bayless for an extended audition since this season is lost. GM Bryan Colangelo then has a pick, some cap space and maybe Jonas Valanciunas in 2012-2013. While the Hornets are also going nowhere this season and probably wouldn't want to take on Calderon's $10.5 million for next year, he still is serviceable and can be shopped to one of the many teams in need of a point guard in the offseason.  Gray is just filler.

Who wins: The Raptors thanks to the cap space and high pick.

5) Houston trades Martin and Flynn to the Suns, the Suns send Nash to the Lakers and the Rockets gets Pau Gasol.

Why the Suns do it: They can let Flynn walk in the offseason and Martin is a capable player who has one year left at $12 million.

Why the Lakers do it: Umm, they have needed a point guard forever.

Why the Rockets do it: They tried to get Gasol once and would still like to get him.

Why it makes sense: The Suns are going nowhere even if Nash can somehow drag that bunch into the playoffs. Flynn provide some savings (which Sarver loves) and Martin can be shipped somewhere in the offseason or they can simply let his $12 million come off the books in the summer of 2013. The Lakers need a point guard and Nash is the quintessential point guard. Bynum is already a load in the post—wait until you get him into a pick-and-roll with Nash. Losing Gasol will hurt but they won't win without him. Plus the Lakers can re-sign Nash and replace Gasol next season and make another run in 2012/13. Its no surprise the Rockets want Gasol. You can play Gasol at C on offense and as a PF on defense allowing Scola to handle the oppositions big.

Who wins: Lakers and Rockets. The Lakers fill a need, the Rockets satisfy a want and dump a player who just doesn't fit.

6) The Clippers trade Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes to the Thunder for Nazr Mohammed and Eric Maynor.

Why The Clippers do it: They desperately need frontcourt depth, particularly a frontcourt player who can score a little.   

Why the Thunder do it: The Thunder get back a PG with a lot of upside to backup Westbrook. 

Why it makes sense: If Mohammed can put up his Charlotte number from last year (7.3 pts, 4.9 rbs, 50% FG) the Clippers will take it. Plus his $3.75 million comes off the books this summer. More cap space they will need to upgrade their roster. Maynor is serviceable backup but serves more as cap filler. The one snag to this deal would be Gomes who is owed $4 million next year. And three-point shooters who are only shooting 14 percent are not in. Bledose would be the key to this deal for the Thunder as he has greater potential than Maynor with a slightly smaller hit to the pocketbook.

Who wins: The Thunder win long term since they would be getting the best player in the deal, and have a more balanced team all around. The Clippers win short term as they improve for the playoff push and save some cap space for next year.