5 Big-Name Players Who Will Be Dealt Before the Waiver Trade Deadline

Players change hands during each and every NBA season, and the 2012-2013 campaign will be no different. 

These five big-name players will be the ones on the move, shifting locales as they put on different jerseys. 

Many of them will be unrestricted free agents during the summer of 2013, so it makes sense to trade them while possible if re-signing them isn't the plan. 

Read on to find out who the top trade candidates are. 

Jose Calderon

Team: Toronto Raptors

Position: PG

Age: 30

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.9 steals

Even though Jose Calderon is still a quality NBA point guard, there's no longer a place for him in Toronto. 

He and his expiring contract should be moved elsewhere so that the Toronto Raptors aren't paying him to sit on the bench behind Kyle Lowry. 

Now that the Raptors have signed John Lucas III, they at least have another option to back up the former Houston Rocket. 

Calderon's passing skills are off the charts, but they'll just go to waste if they're forced to sit on the bench for the majority of the game. 

Tyreke Evans

Team: Sacramento Kings

Position: PG/SG/SF

Age: 22

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 16.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.3 steals

Tyreke Evans has the potential to become an All-Star and live up the self-inflicted expectations from his rookie season, but he's going to have to escape the crowded Sacramento Kings backcourt to do so. 

Over the past few years, Sacramento has decided to start collecting guards and has created a massive logjam at the point guard and shooting guard positions. 

As a result, Evans has been forced into the lineup at small forward, thereby lowering his chances of playing to his strengths. 

Trading Evans would not only do wonders for his career, but it would also bring in new talent and free up space and time for Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton and the other guards on the roster. 

Dwight Howard

Team: Orlando Magic

Position: C

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.5 steals

The only thing that could have kept Dwight Howard off of this list was a stipulation in the opening slide that said I wasn't including him because he was too obvious. 

As there wasn't such a rule, here's Dwight!

The Orlando Magic's center could be traded at any point during this offseason, or at any point during the upcoming season as Rob Hennigan looks to unload the baggage and truly start the rebuilding process. 

It's highly unlikely that Hennigan would ignore Howard's repeated statements that he won't stay in Orlando. He has to deal Superman or else risk getting absolutely nothing for him in free agency. 

Al Jefferson

Team: Utah Jazz

Position: C

Age: 27

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 0.8 steals

Al Jefferson is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2012-2013 season, which means that the Utah Jazz might ship off his expiring contract to another team, one who would be more likely to sign him to an extension. 

Jefferson has developed into one of the league's best centers, but he's blocking the development of talented young pieces like Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. 

For all we know at this point, both Favors and Kanter could end up blossoming into better players than Jefferson. 

At the very worst, they'll be effective and cheap options. 

Josh Smith

Team: Atlanta Hawks

Position: PF

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.4 steals

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Jeff Schultz, Josh Smith isn't going anywhere during this offseason: 

"

Ferry will tell you that he “didn’t come in looking to” trade Johnson, but the opportunity presented itself (and he pounced). But Smith is a different story. Ferry likes him — a lot.

“He’s a really good player,” Ferry said. “I love his ability to pass the ball. I love his ability to make game-changing plays defensively. I love his competitiveness. If I was out there playing, I would want Josh on my team.”

But does Smith want to be here? He wasn’t available for comment Tuesday, but Ferry said he has met with him twice.

“He’s excited for next season,” he said. “We haven’t really gone in that direction with him [on roster plans]. But we’ve talked about how we’re going to play. We’ve talked about other players. His ideas, my ideas. I’m just trying to establish a relationship.”

Smith has only one year left on his contract. While he reportedly has softened his stance on a trade request, he publicly has given no indication yet that he’s looking to re-sign here. He is coming off the best season of his career (18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds), taking on more responsibility after Al Horford’s injury, even with the occasional “Josh” moment.

"

That said, he might be moved before the trade deadline as Danny Ferry continues to try to build the groundwork of this team. 

Smith is going to be an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2013, and the forward has given no indication that he'll be staying with the team that originally drafted him. 

Ferry hasn't hesitated to get rid of longtime Hawks during his brief tenure in charge of personnel movement, and Smith is going to be the latest casualty during the season as he looks to build around Al Horford and Jeff Teague.