NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard and the Players Likely to Get Dealt This Season

With so much speculation already surrounding the possibility of the top-two free agents of 2012 being traded, we're going to add fuel to that fire by analyzing just which players could find themselves in a different uniform by the end of the 2011-12 season.

The 2012 free agency class is going to carry a lot of significance in the decision-making of the each NBA organization this year as teams begin planning out just how to secure a number of these top players.

It's going to be a feeding frenzy in the summer of 2012 as a number of key veterans, All-Stars and superstars alike could be on the move.

Rather than wondering what's going to happen nearly a year from now, we'll take a look at just which players might be on the move in the coming months and possibly before the regular season even starts. The five players mentioned have constantly had their names brought up in the rumor mill and this season actually might be the year that the franchises follow through.

These five players are All-Star caliber and could potentially be making their new team very happy if they do end up hitting the road.

All of these players are sure to be on the move within the year and a few could begin making adjustments to their new team within the next three weeks.

Josh Smith

When you're getting booed by your own home crowd for taking too many jump shots, your time with that particular franchise may be just about over.

That player just happened to be Josh Smith.

It's tough to blame the crowd, considering that Smith is an abysmal jump-shooter and they would rather see him use his athleticism and length to drive into the lane rather than wasting it taking 20 footers that never seem to go in.

On a Hawks team where they might have peaked as second-round fodder for teams like Miami, Chicago and Boston, Smith may be on the way out after seven disappointing seasons.

Smith was taken out of high school and played in his first NBA game at the age of 19 and it seems as if maturity never caught up with him.

Smith has averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks for his career while playing an integral part on an athletic Atlanta squad. He can defend at any position from the 3 to the 5, block shots better than most centers and has athleticism that might exceed that of anyone else in the NBA.

The Hawks are a team looking for an identity and a significant playoff push. With Joe Johnson basically impossible to trade due to his contract, Al Horford being too valuable and the team being in love with Jamal Crawford, Smith is going to be on the outside looking in as he could be snatched up by a team looking for an athletic frontcourt defender and shot-blocker.

Andre Iguodala

I honestly hope that Andre Iguodala gets traded from the Philadelphia 76ers just so the speculation will finally come to an end.

There have been so many deals over the past few years involving Iguodala with one report that he might be going to Los Angeles, another that would send him to Golden State and a final one that ties him up with the Los Angeles Clippers.

For a player as athletic and talented as Iguodala, you'd think that the 76ers would want to keep the multi-dimensional small forward around for the sheer fact that he's probably the best perimeter defender in the league.

Alas, the Sixers are looking to take the team into a new direction and Iguodala just isn't part of the plans, especially with the team attempting to work 2010 pick Evan Turner into the rotation.

A trade involving Iguodala could be on the horizon as the 2011-12 season nears. The need for a player that can consistently score hangs over the organization that is attempting to become more than a .500 team.

Either of those three aforementioned trades would suit the 76ers well; the deal involving Monta Ellis particularly works out for the best for both sides. The Warriors get a strong defender and allow Stephen Curry to lead the way in scoring, while the 76ers get the scorer they're looking for in Ellis while also bringing Turner into the lineup as a small forward to replace Iguodala.

Iguodala has seen his scoring production decline over the past two seasons with his 14 points per game last season being the lowest since his second year in the league. It did come as a result of an increased offensive output thanks in part to Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday, but it also meant that Iguodala just isn't the player that this team desperately needs on offense.

He's an extremely valuable player and the Sixers are going to have to trade the soon-to-be 28-year-old before his age begins to wear down his athleticism.

Monta Ellis

Another player who constantly finds himself in the midst of trade talk, Golden State Warriors shooting guard Monta Ellis could very well be moved to a team looking for an explosive scorer.

The Philadelphia 76ers or Chicago Bulls come to mind, as both teams lack a quality player to run the 2.

Ever since hurting himself in a mo-ped accident that would allow him to only play in 25 games in the 2008-09 campaign, Ellis has been on a tear and has quickly established himself as one of the league's greatest scorers at the age of 25.

After averaging a career high 26 points in 2010, Ellis continued his trend of scoring at a prolific rate by averaging 24 points per, despite being on a team loaded with scorers in Stephen Curry, Dorell Wright and David Lee.

That's exactly where the problem lies.

This Warriors team has too many scorers and Ellis is expendable. The organization values Curry and his ability to drive and shoot from long range, as opposed to Ellis as a driver and mid-range threat.

Even though he just shot a career high 36 percent from beyond the arc this past season, the Warriors are looking to move him in order to bring in a capable defender such as Andre Iguodala.

It's also apparent that the Warriors aren't too accustomed to the idea of having Ellis on the team any longer after using their first-round draft pick to select Washington State shooting guard Klay Thompson.

The Warriors are going to be fine without Ellis on their team when taking a look at the number of scorers. They would rather have quality perimeter defenders and some bench help.

Chris Kaman

Taken with the sixth pick in the 2003 NBA draft, Chris Kaman had the potential to be one of the league's top-tier centers. He was well on his way before injuries began playing a key role over the past few seasons.

Kaman had a breakthrough in his fifth season after four below-average years, when he averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks per game during an injury-shortened 56-game season.

Even with ailments playing a part during the breakout season, Kaman had the best year of his career thus far and displayed a great deal of toughness in the post.

His scoring greatly improved as well, as we began to see his mid-range jumper consistently fall and his footwork in the post improve.

He'd regress the next season by playing in only 31 games and averaging 12 points, but would follow that up with by far the most impressive season of his career, where he posted 19 points and nine boards per game en route to his first All-Star game.

However, any promise for Kaman came to a crashing halt as injuries limited him to only 32 games last year, meaning that he has played in 56 or fewer games in three of the past four seasons.

With Kaman injured, the young and athletic DeAndre Jordan took over impressively, averaging seven points, five boards and two blocks in 25 minutes of action per night. They're certainly not the greatest numbers, but Jordan displayed tremendous defensive prowess and could be blocking three shots per game if given the starting minutes.

The Los Angeles Clippers are enjoying the fresh, young and athletic bodies of this franchise and Kaman could be dealt with Jordan possibly taking over the starting position.

It's also important to take note that Kaman will be a free agent next offseason and it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets traded soon so that the team will actually get something in return, rather than just allowing him to walk.

Dwight Howard

It turns out that we might not even have to wait until the 2012 offseason before the Dwight Howard sweepstakes comes to an end.

With Howard sounding as if he could be on the move from Orlando when free agency begins, a number of teams are already inquiring as to just how they could obtain the NBA's best big man—most notably the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets.

Howard was taken with the first overall pick in the 2004 draft despite coming straight out of high school. It did not matter, as he would average 12 points, 10 boards and two blocks in his rookie season on his way to a spot on the All-Rookie First Team.

Three years later he'd average 20 points per game for the first time, while also leading the league in rebounds for the first of three consecutive years.

The 2008-09 season would be the crowning achievement of Howard's career, as he'd average 21 points, 14 rebounds and a league-leading three blocks per game while winning his first of three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He also led the Orlando Magic to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1995.

Howard's dominance at the center position is supported solely by his athleticism. He's too wide to get around, has too impressive of a vertical leap to shoot over and is too wise on timing and awareness to even think about shooting near, which explains why he has led the league in blocks twice.

His offense is budding, as he's developed a bank shot and a running hook, but it's still his athleticism and muscular build that he uses to back down opponents before anything else.

Trading Dwight Howard may seem like the most asinine idea possible for the Magic, but it could actually pay off in the end. The organization needs to face the facts early that Howard may be leaving once free agency starts, so they should begin taking offers from teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers giving them Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum or the Bulls giving up Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng may be deals that the Magic should take a long look at.