NBA Trade Rumors: Monta Ellis and 10 Players That Could Transform a Team

Some of the NBA's brightest stars have been appearing in trade rumors recently, such as Dwight Howard, Monta Ellis, and Steve Nash.

These players are on the market—or, more accurately, available for an expensive and unknown price—for various reasons.

Howard becomes a free agent in 2012 and could bolt for another team, leaving Orlando in shambles. Ellis is too similar to current backcourt mate Steph Curry, who the Warriors see as their franchise player. And it makes no sense for a rebuilding Phoenix franchise to hold the 37 year old Nash hostage on a non-contender.

Of course, trades aren't likely to happen until after the lockout (a.k.a. The Death of All that is Good and Holy).

But when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is finally installed, and basketball activities resume, these 10 potential trade pieces could transform their new team.

O.J. Mayo

The Memphis Grizzlies smooth-shooting 2-guard was on the trading block last February and was the main piece in the embarrassing trade-that-never-happened between the Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers.

With Rudy Gay's return from injury, Mayo now founds himself in a very crowded Memphis backcourt. He'll be competing for minutes with Gay, Tony Allen, Shane Battier, Sam Young, and Xavier Henry.

Of those six players, Mayo is the best trade piece because the Grizzlies already have players to replace him and other teams covet his youth and shooting ability.

The Chicago Bulls desperately need a shooting guard who can produce points next to Derrick Rose, and Mayo would be an ideal fit.

Chicago has been reluctant to include young big men Omer Asik and Taj Gibson in trade discussions, but it might be worth parting ways with one of them in order to bring in Mayo. Chicago's downfall in the playoffs was undoubtedly their lack of offensive help for Rose, and a potent scorer on the wing would have made the Miami series look very different.

Mayo was relegated to the bench last season in Memphis, but averaged 18 points per game in his two years as a starter. I believe he could provide the Bulls with similar production, instantly turning them into the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Richard Hamilton

The veteran Hamilton is currently stuck in basketball purgatory in Detroit and desperately needs out.

Luckily for him, his contract expires at the end of next season and he will likely be dealt sometime between now and the trade deadline.

His veteran presence would be a welcome addition in Minnesota, who have numerous young assets (Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, Wes Johnson, Martell Webster) that could interest the Pistons. And a core of Ricky Rubio, Hamilton, Derrick Williams, and Kevin Love would instantly make the Timberwolves competitive.

However, Hamilton is entering the twilight of his career and would prefer to land on a team that is already a championship contender.

As I mentioned in the last slide, the Bulls need scoring from the 2-guard position and Hamilton could certainly provide that.

The defending champion Dallas Mavericks are another potential suitor, as Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson will both be free agents this summer. Hamilton's off-the-ball movement and spot up shooting ability would fit in beautifully with the Mavericks offensive schemes.

Paul Milsap/Al Jefferson

The Utah Jazz frontcourt is now incredibly crowded, as Milsap, Jefferson, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Mehmet Okur, and Kyrylo Fesenko will all be competing for minutes next season.

Kanter and Favors are young and loaded with potential, and it's likely that they are the frontcourt of the future in Utah. That means that either Milsap or Jefferson could be on their way out of town by next season's trade deadline.

Both players are a bit undersized for their position (Jefferson a 6'10", 280-pound center, Milsap a 6'8", 250-pound power forward) and consistently get embarrassed on the defensive end.

But despite their flaws, they are very productive on the offensive end. Jefferson averaged 18.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in 35.9 minutes per game. Milsap put up similarly impressive numbers of 17.3 and 7.6 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game.

Either player would be a welcome addition in Toronto, Sacramento, New Orleans (if David West leaves as a free agent), Denver (if Nene leaves as a free agent), or San Antonio.

Josh Smith

Yahoo! Sports recently reported that the Atlanta Hawks are open to trading their high-flying power forward.

His contract is a bit of a turnoff, as he is owed $25.6 million over the next two years and will command big money when he hits free agency at age 27. But with his unique athleticism and skill set, there are certainly teams that would be willing to dish out that money.

Smith is just 25 years old and has enormous potential. He is very productive (16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game last season) and at times is a monster is on the defensive end.

However, he always seems to revert back to his old tendencies of possession-crippling shot selection (Hawks fans are nodding) and general moodiness. When focused and motivated, Smith is a force on both ends of the floor. When disinterested and upset, he can single-handedly bring down his team.

I think what Smith needs is a change of scenery and a little growth in the maturity department.

According to the Yahoo! report, Smith has said his preferred destinations, if traded, would be Boston, New Jersey, Orlando, or Houston.

All four teams could use his youth and athleticism, but lack the assets that it will likely take to acquire him.

Of the four, Houston could put together the best package with some combination of Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, Chase Budinger, and rookies Marcus Morris, Chandler Parsons, or Donatas Motiejunas.

Pau Gasol

Somebody had to be the scapegoat for the Lakers early playoff exit, and Pau Gasol was the easy target.

The Spanish big man has always carried the dreaded "soft" label and his drop-off in production during L.A.'s lackluster playoff run only reinforced this belief.

Following his poor performance, he was the subject of numerous rumors, namely a potential (and incredibly stupid, even as it was being floated out there) deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second overall draft pick.

But his less-than-spectacular playoffs and the subsequent trade rumors don't take away from the fact that Gasol is still perhaps the most skilled big man in the game. Last season he averaged 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while posting a Player Efficiency Rating of 23.33.

Still, Lakers fans seem intent on throwing his head on the chopping block after their untimely second round exit.

There are plenty of suitors that would love to have Gasol (like, the other 29 teams in the league) so the Lakers are certainly not short on options if they ultimately decide to move him.

I'll throw out a somewhat juicy trade proposal in the next slide, centered around Gasol and...

Tony Parker

Tony Parker was reportedly being shopped around right before the draft, but ultimately stayed put.

The Spurs did however deal his back-up, George Hill, to Indiana for the 15th overall pick, small forward Kawhi Leonard.

Of course, with his replacement now in the Hoosier State, it has become much less likely that Parker is dealt. But San Antonio was very unhappy with his recent comments regarding their championship potential and don't believe he fits into the "Spurs culture."

So, for the potential deal I mentioned in the last slide: San Antonio receives Pau Gasol and Steve Blake, while the Lakers get Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson.

The money evens out and both teams get pieces they desperately need.

The Lakers get a young point guard with All-Star ability, as well as a reliable small forward that makes Ron Artest and his miserable contract expendable.

The Spurs get rid of Parker and his chemistry issues, while freeing up minutes for the rookie Leonard. Gasol would be an excellent fit next to Duncan and ensures there wouldn't be a massive hole in the paint whenever TD retires. Obviously Blake isn't the long-term solution at point guard, but he could hold down the fort until a better option becomes available.

The likelihood of San Antonio and Los Angeles working together isn't too high, but this trade makes perfect sense. It's time for the two teams to set aside their rivalry and do what's best for their organization.

Andre Iguodala

The Sixers' do-it-all small forward has seemingly been on the trading block for years now and it's time for Philadelphia to do him a favor and let him go.

Philly needs to clear some roster space so they can develop the young talents of Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. They also desperately need a capable center and an Iguodala deal could certainly land them one.

The best solution for Iguodala and the Sixers is the reported deal that would send him to the Clippers for Chris Kaman.

The Clippers need an upgrade at small forward and Iguodala would be a perfect fit. His defense and veteran leadership would be welcome additions to the young Clippers team. Also, with Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon on board, he wouldn't have to be the first scoring option, leaving him with the energy to wreak havoc defensively and in transition.

A starting lineup of Mo Williams, Eric Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan would instantly be one of the most exciting teams in the league, and would likely compete for a top five or six seed in the loaded Western Conference.

For the Sixers, Kaman has recently struggled through injuries, but he is a very productive center when healthy. He could mentor rookie Nikola Vucecic and would complement Elton Brand nicely in the post. Also, it's unlikely that they'll be able to get a better center via trade.

Steve Nash

The Phoenix Suns are doing basketball lovers everywhere a disservice by hanging on to Steve Nash.

The two-time league MVP is now 37 years old and nearing retirement. He has no business being on a team that surely needs to rebuild.

Nash is a health freak and will be definitely be productive for another two or three years (maybe even more, his diet and conditioning regiments are that ridiculous). Sure, he gets killed defensively, but he more than makes up for it with his unreal offensive ability.

There are several contenders/almost-contenders that could use the services of Nash, namely Miami, New York, Orlando, and the Lakers.

It's unclear whether any of those teams possess the youthful talent that Phoenix covets, but Nash desperately needs to get moved to a team that can compete deep into the playoffs.

Phoenix, please do the right thing and send Steve Nash to a team that's ready to win right now.

Monta Ellis

The Warriors have long been looking for a skilled shooting guard with size so they could deal Monta Ellis. It's not that they don't like Ellis, he's just far too similar to Steph Curry, who the Warriors see as their franchise player and star of the future.

Well, the Warriors drafted sharpshooting Klay Thompson with the 11th pick of the draft, then picked up combo guard Charles Jenkins in the second round. It looks as though they finally have the replacements for Ellis waiting in the wings and a Monta Ellis trade now appears imminent.

Ellis will certainly have plenty of suitors. He has his fair share of haters, but Ellis is a truly special player. There is a very small handful of players who can score 25-30 points a night, and Ellis is one of them.

His shooting percentages are solid (36.1 on threes, 45.1 on all field goals) and he is a better passer than he gets credit for (5.6 assists per game).

Ellis is an elite scorer who will make any team better offensively. He would be a good fit in Minnesota, who could build a very talented young core with Ricky Rubio, Ellis, Derrick Williams, and Kevin Love.

The 76ers, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Hawks, and Bulls are all reportedly interested in Ellis as well.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is unquestionably the most coveted player that could conceivably be moved in the near future.

He will be a free agent after next season, and if Orlando doesn't make significant improvements to the roster, he will look for employment elsewhere.

Howard has repeatedly said that his first choice is to stay in Orlando, but only if the Magic can turn the castoffs around him into championship caliber players.

Orlando general manager Otis Smith has said that he has no intention of moving Howard, but his chances of dramatically improving the roster aren't very good. He doesn't have the youth or talent on his roster to put together an enticing package for potential trade partners, and they won't have the cap space to sign another marquee free agent (Deron Williams, Chris Paul) along with Howard.

His best option may be to follow the Denver Nuggets blueprint: bite the bullet and trade your superstar for as much as you can get before he leaves your team in shambles.

Here are two options that Orlando would have to consider (these are not reported, this is just me tinkering around with the NBA Trade Machine).

Deal 1: Chicago receives Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas' god-awful contract. Orlando receives Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng.

Deal 2: Los Angeles receives Dwight Howard, Brandon Bass, and Gilbert Arenas' god-awful contract. Orlando receives Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom.

Again, these deals are not reported, this is just speculation on my part. Both trades would give Orlando three high quality players to insert into the starting line up and they get rid of Arenas' vomit-inducing contract.

Chicago/Los Angeles would be getting the best center (by far) in the league. I wouldn't put too much faith in either of these deals getting done, but they both make a decent amount of sense.