Predicting NBA Players Guaranteed to Land on Trading Block Before 2013-14 Season

David Lee doesn't believe he's going anywhere before the NBA season starts, but not every other player can stay the same.

The regular season is closer than you think. Before we start planning what opening-day outfit we're going to wear, though, there's still some business that needs tending to.

Free agents worth signing not named Nikola Pekovic have all been snatched up, and the Association's rookies are getting settled in. All that's left for teams to do is hit the trade market in hopes of either bolstering their rotation or loosening the firm grip a despotic CBA has on their wallet, or both.

As with all acquisitions and/or cost-cutting maneuvers, there is going to be collateral damage. 

For teams content with their roster, that's not a problem. Those that have logjams, house conflicting talents or are headed in a different direction, among other things, aren't as lucky.

Rather than hold out hope or procrastinate leading into 2013-14, some organizations are going to rip the band-aid off before the offseason is out. Doing so allows all parties involved to move on instead of lengthening what is probably an already murky situation.

That those eventual rumors will also inject some life into an otherwise defunct time of year is purely incidental.

*Note: The list will not include players who are obviously available. For example, the Boston Celtics would clearly deal Gerald Wallace, the New York Knicks Amar'e Stoudemire, etc.

Honorable Mention: David Lee

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks on 51.9 percent shooting

I can promise you I'm neither an idiot nor neglected to eat my Wheaties this morning. I can also promise you I'm a huge Lee supporter.

Too often, Lee is criticized for his lack of defense. Not that he's a stout defender, but there are far worse out there. And knowing how diligent he is on the glass and offense, in general, I find it tough to criticize or argue against him being on the Golden State Warriors.

That said, his latest rumor-mill jaunt doesn't necessarily end with him telling the New York Post's Marc Berman he won't be traded.

Even after tearing his hip flexor in the playoffs, the two-time All-Star still holds ample trade value. Golden State could elect to trade him for more of a stretch forward in an effort to run small. Depending on how much faith the Warriors have in Andrew Bogut (to stay healthy), that can't be ruled out.

It also bears mentioning that if the Warriors believe they can function in the interim, attempting to trade Lee for an expiring contract or someone vastly cheaper is a route worth exploring. Shedding Lee's $15 million salary before 2014 allows them to become players in free agency, when a certain someone by the name of LeBron James becomes available.

Although it seems insane, the Warriors shocked us all by becoming prominent figures in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Who's to say they don't do something similar next summer?

Free-agency collusions aside, I don't believe Golden State deals Lee right away, if at all. If anything happens, it will be later in the season or closer to next summer.

Not for one second should we believe he's untouchable, though. Any move that stands to take the Warriors to the next level has to be entertained, no matter the timing behind it.

That includes reneging on the alleged promise made to Lee himself.

Omer Asik, Houston Rockets

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks on 54.1 percent shooting

After watching Howard unsuccessfully fiddle around next to Pau Gasol, I can't imagine him and Omer Asik playing together. And if I'm the Houston Rockets, I don't even want to try.

Asik was a double-double machine last year, but the Rockets have a shiny new behemoth who does everything he does, only better.

Houston isn't a team that looks for half-court opportunities. It runs, guns and shoots threes, a stylistic blueprint that's hardly conducive to playing two towers at the same time. Just ask Mike D'Antoni and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The pairing of Howard with James Harden is already going to be put under a microscope. He left one ball-dominating shooter (Kobe Bryant) for another. If the Rockets hold onto Asik, he'll have also left one non-stretch forward for another, the difference being Gasol could knock down shots outside of three feet.

Following Houston's acquisition of Howard, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Asik requested he be traded, a plea the Rockets denied.

Although Asik could serve as Howard's backup, the ever-economical Daryl Morey never intended to pay him $8-plus million to come off the bench. Not only that, completely staggering his minutes to Howard's would dictate he play a mere 10-15 minutes a night.

Assuming the Rockets eventually realize how problematic their situation up front could be, look for them to dangle Asik in hopes of landing another shooter. Or, you know, anyone who's prone to scoring beyond the restricted area.

Joel Anthony, Miami Heat

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 1.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.7 blocks on 51.5 percent shooting

If you laugh, it's only because you know this to be true.

Joel Anthony has become something of a symbol for the Miami Heat, a token of their dominance. They've been able to keep him, play him (at times) and pay him almost as much as Udonis Haslem every year because they could afford to.

Not just financially either. With LeBron and Dwyane Wade on the roster, severely limited players are talents they can field without remorse. Times have changed, though.

Chris Andersen and Greg Oden are in and neither Haslem nor Chris Bosh are going anywhere. Help up front is no longer an issue, even if Oden doesn't play a single solitary minute.

Punitive taxes are also a concern. Miami has more than $82 million on its books for next season, and I'm inclined to believe the Heat didn't amnesty Mike Miller just for fun.

Driven by a potential refusal to pay a seldom-used backup $7-plus million over the next two years along with the knowledge that he's no longer even close to a necessity, the Heat will shop him.

Successfully finding him a home before next season, of course, isn't a sure thing. But if they can't, it won't be for a want of trying.

Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks on 28.6 percent shooting

Danny Granger's name traipsing its way onto the chopping block is inevitable.

First, every player on an expiring contract is usually linked to something. Capitalizing off the departure of someone who can leave over the summer is common practice.

When that someone was held to just five games in the previous season, the situation becomes a bit more complicated.

The Indiana Pacers came within one victory of an NBA Finals berth without him. Optimists maintain that the former All-Star could return and only help an already deeper Pacers team and that's not out of the question.

Reinserting him back into the lineup, whether it be as a starter or sixth man, could also stymie what became superior chemistry by the end of last season. Granger certainly injects some much-needed offense into the equation, but what if him and the soon-to-be-maxed-out Paul George can't coexist at a high level?

Moreover, are the Pacers honestly going to keep Granger beyond this season? Upon (presumably) re-signing George, they're going to have oceans of cash invested in him, Roy Hibbert and David West over the next few years. They may not be willing to offer Granger the money he'll command.

Moving Granger and the $14 million he's owed in 2013-14 wont yield Indiana anything special. Too many factors are at play, none more important than his health. And the Pacers could opt to dance with what they have come fall; they could decide to give this a chance.

Either way, that won't stop them from making him available, from exploring their options. Not when he could be the odd man out of an already cohesive unit.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.2 blocks on 48.4 percent shooting

The rumor mill has already sent mixed signals on this one.

Jason Quick of The Oregonian initially reported that LaMarcus Aldridge requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers leading up to the NBA draft. Aldridge himself denied the report.

“I haven't demanded a trade or cleared a way for my departure,” Aldridge told CSNNW.com. “It's not true. That's all I am saying right now.”

Then CSNNW's Chris Haynes said the power forward's camp met with Portland's general manager, Neil Olshey, to discuss possible trade scenarios. Like clockwork, Aldridge refuted that too, this time via Twitter.

When all is told, and the he-said, they-said, someone-must-have-said games have been put to bed, there's something here. There has to be.

For this much chatter to have already hit the fan, it can't all be smoke and mirrors. Aldridge's contract is up the year after next, the Blazers are rebuilding and Damian Lillard is on the cusp of becoming The Man. He may not want to be a part of that.

Portland's acquisition of Thomas Robinson changes things as well. Blazers fans know only too well they could use the depth he brings to the bench, but he could also act as Aldridge's potential replacement.

Referring to Aldridge as expendable would still be a stretch. He's an All-Star, after all, and players of his caliber are always needed. But these two sides appear to be approaching some kind of impasse.

And something tells me the addition of Mo Williams won't be enough to bridge whatever gap has to exist between Aldridge and his team.

Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks on 44.1 percent shooting

Buying into the Rockets moving Jeremy Lin isn't so much an indictment on his potential as it is the on-court culture Houston must promote.

Allowing two ball-wielding guards to start alongside each other in Harden and Lin was issue enough. Now that Superman has entered the fold, things are even more complicated.

Adding Howard means less touches for Lin, who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Factor in the heavy on-ball style Harden plays, and the Rockets are best fitted for a point guard who can succeed off the rock.

Lin isn't that point guard.

Per Synergy Sports (subscription required), Lin connected on just 38.7 percent of his spot-up attempts last season (34.6 from deep). He's always struggled as a jump shooter (33.2 percent from three for his career), so he never really fit the trey-happy dynamic the Rockets have embraced to begin with.

To top it off, CBS Sports' Ken Berger wrote that the Rockets made Lin available right before they landed Howard. Morey, however, has since told Ultimate Rockets' Jonathan Feigen that Howard and Harden want Lin (and Asik) right where he is.

“The reality is James (Harden) and Dwight (Howard) want to play with Jeremy and Omer,” he said. “I’ve been kicked down to assistant GM. They’re going to be here.”

Knowing the potential risks outweigh the benefits, Morey, Harden and Howard may be singing a different tune soon enough.

Actually moving Lin and the roughly $16.8 million he's owed the next two seasons won't be an easy task. Sheer logic suggests that he will at least become available, though. 

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.7 points, 11.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 0.2 blocks on 48.4 percent shooting

Color me an unabashed Boston-should-trade-Rajon-Rondo advocate.

More than anything, it needs to be understood that Rondo isn't an incapable leader. Fewer physical and verbal altercations, and rounding out his offensive game to include a more consistent jumper, are musts, but he's still one of the best playmakers in the league.

But he's also 27, so I've got to wonder how much of his prime should be spent on a rebuilding outfit.

By the time his contract is up in 2015, he'll be 29, thinking about 30. His future in Boston should then depend on how close to contention the team is. And do we really believe the Celtics will be there in less than two year's time?

Beantown is only slated to have a little under $16 million on the books that summer as of now. While that could change, I trend toward believing the Celtics will maintain such financial flexibility in hopes of bringing in some serious talent on the open market.

Nothing about their free-agency ambitions, however, would be guaranteed, nor are their young guns—Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, etc.—locks to turn into a contention-worthy cast.

Had the Celtics started their reclamation project two years ago, this wouldn't have been a question. You assemble the team around the then-healthy 25-year-old All-Star. Now that he's working his way back from an ACL injury and poised to spend at least the next two years of his prime destined for the lottery, it changes things.

Surrounding teams are well aware of this, and, per the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, some are already expressing interest in trading for him. Intrigue doesn't mean he has to be moved, and I'll even admit the Celtics could hedge their bets on Rondo driving up his stock before the trade deadline.

Given where the Celtics are headed, however, they may find that it's best they travel there without Rondo.

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