Potential NBA Trade Scenarios That Would Shake Up the Landscape of the League

On the eve of November, most NBA teams already know what their rosters will look like on opening day. 

Not the 2012-13 Houston Rockets. They didn't acquire James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder until October 27, just three days ahead of their first regular-season game. Last-second change of plans notwithstanding, Harden showed up ready to go, dropping 37 points on the Detroit Pistons in his first showing as a Rocket.

He scored 45 against the Atlanta Hawks in his second try.

That's a bearded reminder for all the forlorn fans out there, weary of stagnant or wrong-headed rosters. It's never too late to turn things around.

Players and their agents have made a lot of money already this summer, and now it's time for general managers to earn theirs.

The most significant deals yet to be made this summer won't be made with free agents, most of whom are already spoken for. It will take more than cash and cap space to make any serious upgrades before those season-openers. It will take assets, it will take time, and it will probably take some creativity too.

Here are a handful of possibilities that would make things interesting. Granted, these are purely speculative. They haven't necessarily turned up in rumored discussions.

Not yet anyway.

*All trades vetted for matching salaries through ESPN Trade Machine. Trade package salaries for 2013-14 noted in parenthesis with each scenario. 

LaMarcus Aldridge to Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets Acquire: LaMarcus Aldridge ($14,878,000)

Portland Trail Blazers Acquire: Omer Asik, Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones, two first-rounders ($11,349,206)

The Houston Rockets may be saying all the right things about wanting to keep Omer Asik, but then again, that's exactly what they want the rest of the league to think in the event they do. The more reluctant Houston seems, the more leverage it has. With or without leverage, the Rockets are clearly in win-now mode. If they're going to make another big move, they might as well do it now and give the new rotation a full season to get acquainted.

Public positions aside, the Rockets need to deal Asik. There's no sense in paying him $8.4 million to back up Dwight Howard, and there's even less sense in playing the two together, at least if you care about things like floor spacing.

Aldridge would be the perfect anecdote thanks to his exceptional midrange game, keeping the paint wide open for Howard's post-play and James Harden's penetration.

But why would the Trail Blazers give up on Aldridge, still only 28 and playing All-Star ball in his prime? CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes reports that Alridge's representation has already discussed the possibility of a deal with Portland's front office.

We don't know much beyond that just yet, but it's easy enough to imagine where Aldridge may be coming from. Good as 2012-13 Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard will be in his sophomore campaign, there's no guarantee the rest of the team will progress quickly enough to return this team to the postseason in the next year or two.

Portland wouldn't get much immediate help from the deal (though Asik is a defensive upgrade in the paint), but this club would be wise to build around Lillard patiently. That doesn't always mean throwing big money at the first-available stars. Looking ahead, would it be so bad to spend this season letting young guys like Motiejunas and Jones compete with Thomas Robinson for minutes at power forward? It might mean another season of losing in the short-term, but it could also mean securing a talented partner or two for Lillard's future. 

Eric Gordon to the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers Acquire: Eric Gordon ($14,283,844)

New Orleans Pelicans Acquire: Danny Granger, draft considerations ($14,021,788)

Here's an easy one. After acquiring Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans in separate deals this summer, the New Orleans Pelicans now have three very well-paid guards who are all qualified starters and enjoying various stages of rising stardom. Those three guards will combine to make over $36 million next season alone. 

Meanwhile, New Orleans needs help on the wing. Al-Farouq Aminu still can't shoot after three pro seasons, and Ryan Anderson's really more of a spread-4 than legitimate 3.

That's where Danny Granger comes in. The Pacers' 30-year-old small forward is still decently athletic, and he's a good enough shooter to keep the floor spaced. 

As mutually beneficial as the deal seems on face, it might take a while to materialize. The Pelicans would wait and get a feel for how all those guards play together. And they'll almost certainly want to get a look at Granger in action after he saw just five games worth last season. Indiana may have to sweeten the deal with a draft pick or two in the event Granger doesn't immediately return to optimal form.

On the other hand, New Orleans can't be too demanding. Even if Granger never finds his groove, he's only guaranteed to be around for the remainder of the 2013-14 season—two years less than what's left on Gordon's. If things don't work out, all the more cap flexibility going forward.

Granger's expiring deal is less useful to the Pacers, who still owe over $50 million in salary next season without him. Without trading Granger, Indiana would have to wait until 2016 to acquire a player of Gordon's caliber on the free-agent market.

Not ideal for a club looking to contend now.

Rajon Rondo to the Toronto Raptors

Celtics Acquire: Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross, Landry Fields, two first-round draft picks ($15,138,640)

Raptors Acquire: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, a second-rounder ($17,179,545)

The Toronto Raptors are reaching that stage where they need to make a big move and seize the moment. OK, so maybe it's not much of a moment, but 26-year-old Rudy Gay is either in or rapidly approaching his prime. Hopefully the same goes for 23-year-old DeMar DeRozan, who could form a dynamic wing partner for Gay if everything goes perfectly according to plan.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are hanging precariously in an awkward balance between a robust rebuild and something more subdued. At the moment, Rajon Rondo is still a Celtic. Should Danny Ainge trade away some of those draft picks he's hoarding, he might be able to get Rondo some help sooner rather than later. Maybe there's hope for this season yet.

But unless the perfect opportunity emerges, Boston is better off finishing what they started and taking this rebuild to the next level, sending Rondo on his way to a team trying to win now.

Whether Toronto can win now is one thing, but the franchise does seem to be trying. It wouldn't have bothered getting its hands on the pricey Rudy Gay if it weren't. The Raptors have enough scoring talent to make use of a brilliant distributor like Rondo, but the real kicker is that Rondo and Gay are the best of friends. Landing Rondo is great, but getting a happy Rondo is significantly better.

That package I have Boston receiving may not wow you for a player of Rondo's caliber, but it gives the organization two things: More draft picks for Ainge to hoard and increased cap flexibility over the next three seasons. Oh and Terrence Ross, could be an absolute stud one day.

Kyle Lowry's modest $6.2 million contract expires after this season, and Landry Fields' expires the summer after that (whereas outgoing Courtney Lee has a third year on his deal, and Rondo's contract is one year longer than Lowry's and pricier at that). That allows Boston to save a little money in the short-term and become more aggressive players in free agency soon enough.

Deals like this will make for a harder fall in Boston, but they should make for a quicker turnaround too.

Danilo Gallinari to the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks Acquire: Danilo Gallinari, Evan Fournier ($11,569,645)

Denver Nuggets Acquire: Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, first-round pick ($12,469,796)

First of all, I only see a deal like this going down under one circumstance, and that's if the Nuggets struggle early in the season and take a step back. Should Denver decide the current formula isn't working, it could change course a bit. With a new coach in town and young building blocks like Ty Lawson and JaVale McGee, this isn't a franchise that needs to win right this second.

Marion and Carter's expiring contracts give Denver the cap flexibility to pursue a top-tier addition in 2015, potentially sooner with another move or two. Unless the organization believes Gallinari is (or will be) better than the potential alternatives, keeping all options open isn't a terrible idea.

Remember, Denver would still have Wilson Chandler on the wing, a talented two-way forward who costs about $4 million less than Gallinari. And between Kenneth Faried, J.J. Hickson and Anthony Randolph, the 4-spot would be covered too.

This deal's appeal to Dallas is more obvious. 

Even with Gallinari's addition, the Mavericks could remain in the free-agent hunt next summer, especially if Dirk Nowitzki accepts a particularly favorable hometown discount to re-sign.

Gallinari might even help land a big name by improving the value of Mark Cuban's real estate. As Cuban should know by now, waiving around an empty roster doesn't entice many stars. A young scorer with All-Star potential gives this roster appeal, all the more so in the wake of signing Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon.

Arron Afflalo Back to the Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets Acquire: Arron Afflalo ($7,750,000)

Orlando Magic Acquire: Evan Fournier, $7,500,000 of trade exception from Andre Iguodala deal, two second-rounders ($1,422,720)

Changing gears, let's say the Denver Nuggets aren't struggling at all in the wake of Andre Iguodala's departure. In fact, let's say they're rolling along on pace for the fourth or fifth seed as is so often the case. In that event, Denver could actually look to make and upgrade.

Afflalo had an off year shooting the ball last season, cashing in on just 30 percent of his three-point attempts, but he fared considerably better in Denver where he shot near or better than 40 percent from range in each of his three seasons with the club. Denver could once again use the help on the perimeter after ranking 25th in three-point accuracy and 19th in attempts.

The 27-year-old also lends the Nuggets some veteran leadership and defensive ability. In other words, he's not a bad approximation of the guy who replaced him a summer ago: Andre Iguodala.

While Orlando could use a pro's pro to help mentor its young prospects, it could also stand to save three years worth of Afflalo's salary and pick up some more promising talent (Fournier).

This move wouldn't radically reshape the NBA's balance of power, but it could certainly help the Nuggets remain relevant in an always-improving Western Conference.