NBA Trade Speculation: 10 Players Who Could Make a Bigger Impact on Another Team
Every player in the NBA wants to make the biggest impact he can, but sometimes guys just aren't put into situations where they can maximize their talents.
That's were trades come in. Sometimes, at least.
These 10 players are all in situations which allow me to claim that they could make bigger impacts on other teams than the ones they currently play for. Some of their names are constantly in trade rumors, while others haven't been so ever-present. Not yet, at least.
Read on to discover who these 10 players are.
Michael Beasley
1 of 10Michael Beasley may be a tremendous scorer and an adequate rebounder for his position, but the dreadlocked one has gotten in enough trouble both on and off the court that he may have already worn out his welcome in Minnesota.
It doesn't help his cause that the Timberwolves already have the talented Anthony Randolph waiting in the wings and Kevin Love firmly established as the team's best player. Additionally, the team recently added Derrick Williams through the draft and the former Arizona superstar seems like a player remarkably similar to Beasley.
With his scoring ability, Beasley should hope for a fresh start on a team in desperate need of a quick injection of offense.
Carlos Boozer
2 of 10The oft-injured power forward was subject to quite a bit of vitriol at the hands of Chicago Bulls fans and haters around the country thanks to his time spent wearing suits on the bench and playing on the court as a non-factor (at least compared to his Utah days).
Carlos Boozer still put up very good numbers wearing red and white, but he is by no means well suited to play with the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose, who needs to have the ball in his hands for much of the offense's possessions.
Additionally, Taj Gibson is in place behind Boozer on the depth chart and looks talented enough to supplant him in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
Monta Ellis
3 of 10Monta Ellis is one of the absolute best scorers in this league, both among guards and all players alike.
But playing the backcourt of the Golden State Warriors does not suit him. Without a defensive stalwart joining him there (Stephen Curry does not exactly fit this description), Ellis' limitations on the defensive end of the court are quite apparent.
On top of that, Curry's playing style and Ellis' might make for a pretty box score and a few highlight reel plays for the fans, but they don't translate into wins.
If you put Ellis on a defensively oriented team, his offense would seem even better and his defensive shortcomings would be far less visible.
Danny Granger
4 of 10Danny Granger is on the brink of stardom for the Indiana Pacers, but because of the lack of success in Hoosier land and the size of the market, he is one of the least recognizable players of his skill level in the NBA.
The Indiana Pacers have a ton of young talent, but Granger needs to win now. He'd be far better suited to play as the second fiddle on a contender, preferably one with a bit more media exposure.
His many talents are a little bit wasted when he doesn't have teammates surrounding him that can help take some of the weight off of his shoulders.
Andre Iguodala
5 of 10Just like with Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala isn't cut out to be Batman. He's far better suited to play the role of Robin.
One of the premier swingmen in the NBA, Iggy is a tenacious perimeter defender and a terrific stat-sheet stuffer, capable of contributing to the Philadelphia 76ers' cause in many ways. But shouldering the scoring load and still being expected to give his full effort in all other facets of the game is not going to maximize Iguodala's talents.
He'd be much better suited to be the second-best player on a team. That can't happen in Philadelphia, especially with the pending emergence of Thaddeus Young and Jrue Holiday in the same backcourt which he currently occupies.
Chris Kaman
6 of 10The youth movement of this Los Angeles team is quickly going to result in a decline in minutes for Chris Kaman, despite his productivity when he's on the court.
With Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon leading the way, the Clippers are clearly on the rise and turning to young players to complete that rise rather than the old, grizzled veterans. Kaman most assuredly belongs in that latter category.
His talents would be much better served on another team, especially because it would help open the door for Al-Farouq Aminu, Trey Thompkins and DeAndre Jordan to all get more playing time and develop at a much quicker pace.
Andre Miller
7 of 10After playing with the Denver Nuggets from 2003-2006, Andre Miller rejoined the team at the Mile High City when he and the No. 26 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft were sent there from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Raymond Felton.
Miller is coming off a season in which he started 81 games and averaged 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, great numbers for a 35-year-old point guard. He'd likely put up similar numbers in Denver, except for one tiny little problem.
That problem comes in the form of Ty Lawson, who, by all indications, is going to be the starter as soon as the NBA season gets rolling. Miller could definitely make a bigger impact if he wasn't sitting on the bench for much of the game.
Steve Nash
8 of 10The Phoenix Suns are not going to win an NBA championship anytime soon.
Steve Nash is a point guard still capable of leading a team to a title, even though that's never happened in his career.
Any of the contending teams would allow him to at least have a shot at getting one ring before his career ends.
Chris Paul
9 of 10Chris Paul is one of the rare point guards, or at least they seem rare nowadays, that appears to have more fun passing the ball than scoring points for himself.
The problem is, he's stuck on a New Orleans Hornets squad that's either a one-man show when David West is injured or a two-man show when West is healthy and on the court. The second problem is that West is the best teammate that CP3 has ever had the ability to play with.
Put Paul in a situation with a lot more talent and I guarantee that career assists per game average of 9.9 makes its way into double-digits.
Russell Westbrook
10 of 10Russell Westbrook is a talented enough point guard to be the best player on his team. But the problem here is that he has to play alongside Kevin Durant, the two-time reigning scoring champion of the NBA who still hasn't reached his peak. Come to think of it though, that's not much of a problem.
Westbrook was often criticized last season, both in the regular season and the playoffs, for taking matters into his own hands a bit too often and failing to cede to the scoring prowess of Durant.
But imagine if he was asked to be the best player on his team? Could Westbrook have an impact similar to the one that Derrick Rose had last year with the Chicago Bulls?
It's possible, but we probably won't find out.
Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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