NBA Trade Talk: 5 Big Trades to Inject Excitement into Shortened Season

Although the NBA is in the midst of a lockout, trade rumors have still persisted and rumors such as a swap of Dwight Howard for Andrew Bynum would certainly shake up the league and bring some added excitement.

Since a shortened season is looking very likely, the NBA will likely hope for one of these rumors to become reality as it could possibly inject some excitement back into the game and make fans forget about losing half of a season due to the lockout.

A swap of superstars would send a shockwave through the NBA and alter teams' identities, possibly making them even more deadly than they were before.

5. Monta Ellis for Kevin Martin

A swap of Monta Ellis for Kevin Martin would involve two of the highest-scoring guards in the NBA and would make for an intriguing option for both teams involved.

From the Golden State Warriors' side of things, getting Martin would allow Stephen Curry to be fully in command, while also giving them the best three-point and free-throw shooting backcourt tandem in the entire league.

The Houston Rockets would receive Ellis, who is one of the most elusive scoring guards in the NBA. His ability to handle to ball and drive to the hoop would take pressure off of the promising Kyle Lowry.

While the trade benefits both teams, more specifically it benefits the young starting point guards on both teams even more. Curry would finally be given full control of the Warriors and Lowry would be allotted the time he needs to acclimate to a starting point guard role.

Although the names involved in the trade may not be as flashy as some of the others featured in the slideshow, it would certainly create quite a buzz for the most dedicated basketball fans.

4. Steve Nash for Chauncey Billups and Iman Shumpert

While the New York Knicks are likely to hold off on a move for Steve Nash since they are trying to preserve cap space for the highly acclaimed 2012 free agent class, it still remains an interesting option for them.

For the Phoenix Suns, this is purely about not taking on any extra salary while also receiving Chauncey Billups, who is a savvy veteran entering the twilight of his career, much in the same way as Nash.

They also receive the athletically gifted and defensive-minded Iman Shumpert in the trade, who they were interested in taking in the 2011 NBA Draft.

For the Knicks, this move is about reuniting Mike D'Antoni with Nash, who is a point guard tailor-made for the up-tempo offensive system D'Antoni runs.

It would also bring Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire back together, which would only help to benefit Stoudemire's offensive production.

The player who stands to benefit the most from this trade, though, would be Carmelo Anthony, who is already capable of creating his own scoring opportunities.

However, having Nash feed him the ball could make him even more dangerous on the offensive end, which seems almost unfathomable. If Anthony did get the opportunity to play with Nash, it's not unreasonable to imagine him scoring near 30 points per game.

While Nash is certainly an intriguing option for D'Antoni's run and gun system, look for the Knicks to preserve cap space in hopes of acquiring the services of Chris Paul or Dwight Howard.

3. Kevin Love for Pau Gasol

This was a rumor that has kind of died down as of late, but still remains an interesting trade option for both teams.

While I think Pau Gasol is a better fit for the Los Angeles Lakers' offense, Kevin Love is only 22 years old in comparison to Gasol who is 31.

Receiving a superstar like Love when he is just entering his prime could be too good to pass up. Especially when you consider the fact that Kobe Bryant, who has been the team's cornerstone for 15 years now, is turning 34 years old and won't be around forever.

I think Bryant's best chance at winning another ring would be if Gasol sticks around, but the Lakers must worry about planning for their future and what it will look like once the face of their franchise.

From the Minnesota Timberwolves' standpoint, it seems to make some sense to make this trade in order to obtain a veteran presence on an extremely young team. It's an even more intriguing option since Gasol could ease Rick Rubio's transition to the NBA, since they've played together on the Spanish national team.

At the end of the day though, I think even David Kahn realizes the rare talent he has in Kevin Love and will do everything in his power to keep him around. Most recently evidenced by the savvy signing of Rick Adelman as head coach.

The thing making this trade highly unlikely as well, is the fact that Love makes much less money than Gasol does, so it would likely take too many additional pieces to make the contracts match to push a trade through.

If they are able to figure out a way to make the contracts and pieces match-up in a way that benefits both sides though, it is still an interesting trade idea that could generate a ton of attention if executed.

2. Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul

This seems like a very interesting option for both the New Orleans Hornets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

From the Hornets' standpoint, Chris Paul's bags are essentially packed for another city at this point and it is highly unlikely that he'll be returning to the Big Easy. That being said, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to receive anyone more talented than Russell Westbrook in return.

For the Thunder, Sam Presti has done an impeccable job building this team and is unlikely to trade away the young explosive Westbrook, who is only 22 years old and is coming into his prime, for anyone, even for Paul, who is the top-ranked point guard in the NBA.

Paul will likely end up signing with someone in the summer of 2012 as it's highly unlikely that a trade like this will be made, especially since these rumors surfaced when Westbrook was going through a "superstar complex" during the playoffs.

Presti is wise beyond his years as a general manager and will likely realize that those are just growing pains that come along with a 22-year-old combo guard trying to mold himself into a purer point guard.

Making this trade occur would truly take a stroke of magic from both GM's since matching up contracts is possible, but would likely require the Thunder to give up two other role players along with Westbrook. Such a price looks to be too steep, even for the services of the NBA's top point guard in return.

1. Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard

This is easily the most persistent trade rumor being talked about right now.

The trade makes sense for both teams, since the Orlando Magic look like they are running out of time to surround Dwight Howard with a team that will contend for a championship anytime soon.

Howard being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers would be an absolute steal, since Howard is extremely durable in comparison to Andrew Bynum, who has faced nagging injuries for essentially his entire career.

Obtaining Bynum for the Magic does make sense too, though, because when healthy, Bynum is easily the second-best center in the NBA. Getting Bynum for Howard is better compensation than receiving nothing.

If the trade does go down, look for Kobe Bryant to get his sixth championship ring, as a trio of Bryant, Gasol and Howard seems too great for anyone to defeat. Even the Miami Heat would be destroyed by a team with these three, since Howard and Gasol would annihilate Chris Bosh in the paint.

Since a shorter season looks likely, it would be nice to see an exciting trade or two go through to start up the season up again with a bang.