NBA Trade Rumors: Breaking Down the Latest Trade Buzz and Expert Analysis

The Mar. 15th NBA trade deadline is only a few hours away from being upon us, and while there haven't been any major moves, aside from the Golden State-Milwaukee trade, that doesn't mean there aren't any moves that will come in the next few hours.

With rumors swirling around the future of Dwight Howard in Orlando, the Bulls' interest in Pau Gasol and the Lakers' continued interest in Michael Beasley and Ramon Sessions, it's all but certain that some players are going to get moved before Mar. 15th passes.

At the forefront of the most recent NBA trade rumors is the talk about what's going to happen to Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard's Future in Orlando

While there have been conflicting reports about Howard's intent on signing an agreement to not opt out of the most recent contract, the report coming out of Orlando is that the Magic are still trying to move D12 before the trade deadline.

No one knows what's really going to happen in Orlando with Dwight Howard, but one thing is for sure, and that is that if the Magic are still considering trading him, now is the time for teams like the Nets and Lakers to seriously go after the attention-crazed center.

I think everyone in the NBA is tired of all the trade talks in Orlando, which means it's time for the Magic to just do something with Howard.

The Lakers have the most to offer the Magic in return for Howard, as they have both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but it's not clear which team is the front-runner at this point in the night, but I'm sure that will change over the next few hours, if not minutes.

Pau Gasol to the Chicago Bulls

Here's a trade that absolutely won't happen, especially if Dwight Howard is still on the trading block, as Chicago would have to give up way too much to get Pau Gasol, who honestly wouldn't be that much of an upgrade over Carlos Boozer and his painted-on-beard at the power forward position.

While it's certainly fun to entertain the possibility of a starting lineup with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Pau Gasol, it's not realistic, as the Lakers would certainly want Luol Deng in the packaged deal that would send Gasol to Chicago.

If the Bulls are seriously interested in upgrading their production and their performance off the bench before the trade deadline, a better move for them to make is to go after the Timberwolves' small forward Michael Beasley.

There's almost a zero percent chance that Pau Gasol will get moved before the trade deadline, unless he finds himself involved in a trade that sends Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers Still Pursuing Michael Beasley

 Here's the most likely trade that's going to happen by the time the clock strikes 3:00 p.m. ET tomorrow and the NBA trade deadline passes us by.

The Lakers are reportedly still interested in Michael Beasley, and if Los Angeles can't land Dwight Howard by the trade deadline, Beasley will be a nice fallback.

The Lakers could realistically land both Beasley and Ramon Sessions, which would be a stellar pickup for the Lakers, who are looking to bolster their bench and add a legitimate point guard to their starting lineup.

If the Lakers can pull off both these acquisitions before 3:00 p.m. ET tomorrow, they will catapult themselves into contention for being the favorite team coming out of the Western Conference.

Thanks for checking out the analysis of the most recent trade rumors, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @peteremerick.