5 Trades That Need to Happen During the 2012 NBA Draft

Expect this year's NBA draft to be filled with numerous trades, like it has been in years past. 

Some trades will be small, like when a team trades their first and a second or future pick to move up a few spots.

Others will be much more significant, like when Boston acquired Ray Allen from the SuperSonics a few seasons ago.

Regardless, you can be sure that by the end of the draft, the draft board will look much different than when it began.

Here are five trades that need to happen on draft day.

Grizzlies Send No. 25 to Warriors for No. 30 and No. 35

Grizzlies Receive: No. 30, No. 35

Warriors Receive: No. 25

Why the Grizzlies Should Make this Trade?

The Memphis Grizzlies are a solid squad, but still lack the depth to really compete with the big boys in the Western Conference.

At this point in the draft, the talent level really won’t be that much different from No. 25 through No. 35. Making this trade allows the Grizzlies to add two pieces who they hope will pan out, as opposed to just one.

Some players the Grizzlies should consider with these two picks are Evan Fournier, Royce White, Will Barton, Festus Ezeli and Darius Miller.

Why the Warriors Should Make this Trade?

The Golden State Warriors have four picks in this draft and are looking to move one or two of them, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. Making this trade allows the Warriors to move up five spots from No. 30 and take the guy they desire the most at the end of the first round.

At this point in the draft, there should still be players with talent available; they just may have some question marks that caused them to slide this far.

Taking the guy they want rather than waiting to see who falls to them could pay huge dividends in the long run.

Kings Send No. 5 Pick to the Sixers for Iguodala

Kings Receive: Andre Iguodala, No. 15 Pick

Sixers Receive: No. 5 Pick, Chuck Hayes

Why the Kings Should Make this Trade?

The Kings have decided against making a move for Andre Iguodala in the past, but they have at least considered it, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

It is time for them to change their stance. Iguodala brings a little bit of everything to the table. He can score, rebound and even averaged over five assists per game last season. Iggy is also a great defender, averaging 1.8 SPG for his career.

In this deep draft class, the Kings should also still be able to find talent with the No. 15 pick they are acquiring. Players like Perry Jones III or Tyler Zeller could become starting power forwards for the Kings if they live up to potential.

Why the Sixers Should Make this Trade?

Having Iguodala as their leader clearly hasn’t worked out well for the Sixers. He’s brought them to the playoffs five times but was only able to advance past the first round once.

Grabbing the No. 5 pick gives the Sixers the opportunity to draft a new leader.

Without Iguodala, their biggest weaknesses would be at small forward and center. It just so happens that the players projected to go off the board at No. 5 and No. 6 are small forward Harrison Barnes and center Andre Drummond. Either player would be able to step in and start right away.

On top of that, the Sixers would also get a proven rebounder in Chuck Hayes. Hayes has fallen out of rotation in Sacramento, but still has a career average of 5.6 RPG even though he only plays about 20 minutes.

Thunder Send Harden to the Bobcats for the No. 2 Pick

Thunder Receive: No. 2 Pick, No. 31 Pick, BJ Mullens

Bobcats Receive: James Harden, Eric Maynor

Why the Thunder Should Make this Trade?

The Thunder are going to have difficulties re-signing both James Harden and Serge Ibaka when their contracts run out after the season. This is because they recently inked Kevin Durant to a five-year, $85 million extension and Russell Westbrook to a five-year, $78 million extension.

Harden will seek a contract similar to the contracts his buddies signed, while re-signing Ibaka won’t break the bank for the Thunder. Harden is a great scorer, but it makes no sense to pay top dollar to a third scorer.

By getting the No. 2 pick, the Thunder will be able to replace Harden at a much cheaper rate.

If they want to replace the scoring that Harden brought, they can draft Harrison Barnes if they believe he can play shooting guard. If they want to address a need, like defense or big man, the Thunder could take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Thomas Robinson with that pick.

Why the Bobcats Make this Trade?

The Bobcats are desperate for a player like James Harden—a go-to scorer and a piece to build their team around.

Harden will not only instantly become the leader of the Bobcats and the face of the franchise, but he will be the best player the team has ever had.

As the number one option for the first time, Harden should see his statistics skyrocket. An All-Star game should be in Harden’s near future if he joins the Bobcats.

Bulls Send Deng to the Raptors for the No. 8 Pick

Bulls Receive: No. 8 Pick, Jose Calderon

Raptors Receive: Luol Deng, No. 29 Pick

Why the Bulls Should Make this Trade?

The Bulls are looking to add youth to their roster by moving into the top 10 of this draft. The only way that will be possible is by trading either Luol Deng or Joakim Noah.

Even though Deng is the All-Star of the two players, he is probably the easier player to replace.

With the No. 8 pick, the Bulls will have their choice of a number of different shooting guards and small forwards to select from. Players like Dion Waiters, Austin Rivers and Jeremy Lamb will all most likely still be on the board and have the ability to match the offense Deng brought.

The Bulls don’t necessarily need Jose Calderon, but he will be a great backup for the injury prone Derrick Rose. Also, his contract expires at the end of the season and frees up nearly $10.5 million in salary cap for the Bulls to spend on other free agents next offseason.

Why the Raptors Should Make this Trade?

The Raptors haven’t had an All-Star caliber player since Chris Bosh bolted for South Beach two seasons ago.

Luol Deng is only 27 years old and proved he can be a leader this season. Even though Rose missed 27 games this season and Deng was bothered by a wrist injury all season long, Deng still kept the Bulls on top of the Eastern Conference.

Losing Calderon will hurt, no doubt a bout it. He’s been an important part of the Raptors’ squad since he joined the NBA back in 2005, never playing in less than 21 minutes per game.

This draft is loaded with guards though, and the Raptors may be able to find a steal with that No. 29 pick. If they're lucky, Marquis Teague may be available into the 20s, and the Bulls can move up a few spots to grab him.

Thunder and Celtics Swap Rondo for Westbrook

Thunder Receive: Rajon Rondo, No. 22 Pick

Celtics Receive: Russell Westbrook

Why the Thunder Make this Trade?

The Thunder already have possibly the best scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant, so losing Westbrook’s scoring won’t hurt too much.

Rondo would be the perfect sidekick for Durant. He always looks to pass first and makes his teammates around him better. He is just as good as Westbrook is at getting into the lane, which will create space for Durant to do his thing on the perimeter.

Also, by cutting their salary cap a bit (since Rondo’s contract is cheaper than Westbrook’s), the Thunder may be able to bring back Harden and Ibaka. Having the No. 22 pick also allows the Thunder to make their bench even stronger than it already is.

Why the Celtics Make this Trade?

Let’s face it, the Celtics run of dominance is coming to a close.

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are at the end of their contracts, and it doesn’t seem likely either will return next season. Paul Pierce is also 34 years old now and won’t be the team’s leading scorer for much longer.

Rondo is great for the Celtics now, but he won’t be nearly as effective when he has no one talented around him to pass the ball to.

Russell Westbrook would shine in this new system without Durant, sort of like Derrick Rose does. He will get to be the go-to scorer we know he’s capable of being and the leader of a franchise.