NBA Preview: A Season Filled with Speculation and Player Movement

The NBA is in a transitional period. Ever since the Boston Celtics compiled a triumvirate of superstars in 2007, the goal of general managers across the NBA has mainly been to create a team of superstars, a super-squad.

Now with the creation of the trio of stars that have aligned themselves in South Beach, the transition has been almost full-fledged. Miami now has two bona fide superstars, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and a perennial All-Star in Chris Bosh.

The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, made popular the method of centering a team around a superstar, getting him a sidekick, and using role players whose strengths cover the flaws of others and whose flaws are covered by the strengths of others.

Since 1990, every NBA champion, with the exception of the 2004 Pistons and the 2008 Celtics, have followed in the steps of the Jordan-era Bulls.

Now, the main teams that are following this method with success are the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Orlando Magic, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The goal of teams is to stuff as many A-list players into the lineup as possible and fill the other spots with young, cheap talent or aging veterans.

With the tumultuous offseason that we just encountered, there is one thing that can be expected, a handful of contending teams hurrying to catch up with what the Heat have done.

So, without further ado, here are a handful of the players that will possibly be moved in the upcoming season.

Carmelo Anthony

He might as well put his house in Denver on the market now. Anthony has asked to be traded, and there is zero possibility of him re-signing with the Nuggets, so he should have a new area code in the next week or so.

Numerous teams either have or will be jumping on the opportunity to convince a player of Anthony's caliber to not only play with them next season, but also have the opportunity to offer him a maximum contract.

A slew of teams have the pieces necessary. New Jersey, New York, Washington, and Chicago are easily able to offer Denver enough to get him this season, but the main part of landing Anthony will be convincing him that they have enough to contend for a title in the next few years. Only then will they be able to trade for him this year and re-sign him next offseason.

New York and Chicago are obvious destinations for Anthony.

New York has Amar'e Stoudemire and the stage for any real superstar to thrive on. He would relish the spotlight, it seems, and would probably feel more secure in going there now that owner Larry Dolan is beginning to show some competence.

But, for every competent thing Dolan has done this past offseason, there is still the fact that he tried to rehire the man that put New York basketball in ruins for the latter half of the 2000s. Offering another job to Isiah Thomas is a sign that Dolan may still be full of bad decisions.

Plus, New York doesn't have the same number of tradeable pieces that the other three teams have.

Chicago has Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer in place to take the Bulls as far as they can. Adding Carmelo would be a backbreaker to Eastern Conference teams not in Miami, Orlando, or Boston.

The Bulls seem to be the most likely destination considering their ability to win today. If Anthony were to be traded there before training camp, they would be on the same page as the Heat as far as chemistry is concerned.

Other interesting teams are the Wizards and Nets.

While neither would probably be a threat to win the conference this year, they both have quite bright futures.

Washington has new arrival John Wall along with obvious talent, but a possible question mark in Gilbert Arenas, who would be helpful to any team as long as the baggage from last season is gone.

New Jersey has the powerful young core of Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez along with new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who is dedicated to winning. With a trade for Anthony, though, the Nets would likely have to give up Harris.

Right now it seems as if Anthony will end up in New Jersey by the end of next week. However, if one of the pieces were to fall through in that trade, and Chicago would be willing to give up Joakim Noah, there is no doubt both Denver and Anthony would be into that trade.

Chris Paul

Right now, he seems committed to the Hornets, and he seems to be sincere about that. Having said that, he may change his mind depending on how they start the season.

If he becomes frustrated with the direction of the team, it is possible that he will be gone by the time the trade deadline comes around.

Paul, if traded, most likely would end up in New York. He has expressed his desire to be a part of a super-squad comparable to the one in Miami. This and this alone is enough to make him want to play for the Knicks.

Another team that could have an interest in him would be the Hawks, who have a shell of a point guard playing for them in Mike Bibby.

Also, with the recent addition of Byron Scott, it is not impossible to think that the Cavs would throw their hat into the Chris Paul ring.

They have a number of young players, draft picks, and a huge trade exception that could be enough to get a deal done for an unhappy Paul. Plus, they have the young talent in J.J. Hickson that could lure Paul to the shores of Lake Erie.

There has also been word going around that Miami would be interested in Paul, which to me is a ridiculous notion. Throwing that much money into four players would be a crazy idea and with that many egos on the floor at once, problems would be unavoidable.

Andre Iguodala

Evan Turner is the new stat-stuffing flavor of the month in Philadelphia. If the 76ers, brass feel that Turner can fill a stat sheet in the NBA like he did last year at Ohio State, then he will be the new player to lead the youth movement in Philly.

Iguodala is a player any team would want—an athletic shooter with youthful explosiveness who can do nearly everything. He can shoot a three from time to time, has a smooth jumper, and is a handsy defender with an exceptional ability to steal the ball.

AI 2.0 was shopped a bit last year but no offer good enough came up, as they had no backup plan at the time. But, now that they have Turner, look for Iguodala to be shopped much more aggressively.

There are a few teams that make sense to pick up Iguodala. The Bulls, Knicks, Nets, and Clippers seem as likely as anyone to swoop in and make a play for Iggy.

With the Bulls, Knicks, and Nets looking to improve more than what they did in free agency, there will likely be a domino effect, with one getting Anthony and the rest going after the next best talent on the table. So if AI 2.0 is shopped, expect the Anthony losers to get in on him immediately.

The Clippers are a very interesting team in this trade possibility. They have been looking to shake off the role as Los Angeles' "little brother" team, so I expect to see them be aggressive this year.

The Clippers have a number of young players to move and a winning mentality for the first time in years, along with the willingness to take on Iggy's large contract and pay the impending luxury tax.

Plus, Mike Dunleavy is gone!

That is a formula for an exciting Clipper team this year.

Tayshaun Prince

Prince has been mired in obscurity for the past few years in Detroit. They were expected to be back to their 2004 level last year with the addition of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, but things did not pan out as planned, and Prince should be aching to leave.

Prince is in the final year of his contract, and currently has no reason to stay with Detroit.

By the time the trade deadline comes around, teams should be itching to pick up Tayshaun, as his hard-nosed, lock 'em down, drag 'em out defense is an asset to any team.

Prince would not come with as high an asking price as any of the previous three, so really any team in contention at the halfway point could show interest in the lanky forward.

Usually, many of the contending teams have traded at the deadline for offensive help in the form of good shooters. Good defenders are something that has been ignored in February trades, so if a team is smart, they could be able to steal Prince.

Teams that could use Prince this season are quite difficult to predict, but Phoenix, New York, Atlanta, and Charlotte are possible destinations for Prince.

Monta Ellis

Rumors have been swirling quite frequently over Ellis for the past year. The emergence of the younger Stephen Curry, who is a better shooter and a more natural point guard, has thrown Ellis' status into question.

Ellis takes a lot of shots, but he has shown the ability to make a lot of them. He is a quick little playmaker and is too good to be a backup.

Since the 2008-09 season, when Ellis lied to the Warriors about an injury he sustained in a moped accident, he and the front office have not been on good terms, so seeing him traded would not be exceptionally surprising.

Teams would have to be willing and able to take on Ellis' bulky contract, as he is owed $11 million for each of the next three years with another $11 million player option in 2013-14.

Teams that would want to pay and trade for him would be few and far between, but they are out there.

Atlanta needs a point guard who can do something more than whatever it is that Mike Bibby is doing today.

Ellis is also, just like everyone else on this list, a potential target for the Knicks, as it seems that they would be the team to trade for a guy who takes shots by the fistful.

Michael Redd's Expiring Contract

Redd is in no way a star-quality player anymore, but if he stays healthy for once, he would be an asset to any team.

Regardless of his age and his knees made of Jell-O, Redd can flat out shoot the ball.

He has a huge expiring contract ($18 million) that any team would be willing to take on come trade deadline time.

Any upper-tier playoff team would be able to justify taking on whatever he is owed in the second half of the season to put him in its jersey, plop him on the three-point line, and let him shoot.

Look for him to move to the team most willing to give up a draft pick to get him. That would include the Knicks (who else?), Hawks, Mavericks, Clippers, and pretty much every team.

The possibilities for Redd are endless.

So get ready for the chaos everyone, because preseason games start up soon, and before you know it, the wheeling and dealing will start.