NBA Trade Rumors: 6 Trades and Free Agent Signings That Make Absolutely No Sense

NBA trade rumors and free agent signing possibilities are lighting up the sports world right now.

In a lockout shortened offseason there will undoubtedly be trades and free agent signings that are impulsive based on perceived team needs.  

While a majority of the trades and free agent acquisitions will work out for teams, there will undoubtedly be some that won't work out, and the ones that don't work out have the possibility to have a strong impact on teams well past this upcoming season.  

I know that hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I'm trying to help these NBA teams before hindsight enters the picture by advising them to not make moves that they are certainly thinking about making.  

Here are the six trades and free agent signings that make absolutely no sense.   

Boston Celtics PG Rajon Rondo for New Orleans Hornets PG Chris Paul

First of all, this trade won't work because Chris Paul already said he won't sign with the Celtics (which doesn't make much sense).  For the sake of this article let's just pretend that this might actually become a reality.  

The Celtics made a huge mistake by even attempting to deal Rajon Rondo because he is the kind of player who will take it personally.  Rondo is an extremely emotional player and by trying to trade him you send the message that he isn't as important as he might think and he won't respond well to that.

Danny Ainge was quoted saying:  "Everybody knows how valuable Rondo is to our team. I’ll talk to Rondo, but I don’t want to talk about it publicly.”  While I believe what he is saying, I still think that the Celtics would trade Rondo in a heart beat for the right talent in return.

I'm not convinced that Chris Paul is a better fit for the Celtics than Rajon Rondo is.  I know this will sound crazy, but the way Rondo facilitates the game to Boston's big three is something that I don't think the Celtics can afford to lose.  

Chris Paul is an elite talent, but his kind of game wouldn't fit with the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce like Rondo does.  

Chris Paul is without a doubt the better basketball player, but that doesn't mean he would fit better into the Celtics and Boston needs to realize that. 

Any NBA Team Signing Greg Oden to a Long-Term Contract

NBA teams shouldn't touch center Greg Oden with a 39-and-a-half foot poll, and here is why.  

Any team interested in Greg Oden will need him to make a big impact early on in the season, and they will need him for the entire season.  

The problem is that won't happen because I don't see Greg Oden staying healthy for an entire year or being able to jump right back into the pace of the NBA after an entire year out of the game.

While Oden's most recent season started off hot with averages of 11.1 ppg and 8.5 rpg, his health ultimately got in the way, just like it will for the rest of his career unfortunately.  

Since the 2007-2008 season Oden has missed three seasons due to injuries, all of which centered around his knees/legs.  That fact alone should keep teams away, but there is no doubting that some teams will fall into the "What if Oden is healthy?" trap and give him a contract.

Whoever signs Oden has to sign him for just one year at first.  Entering into a long term contract with Oden could handcuff a franchise for years to come.

The last thing any NBA franchise wants is an injury prone player holding up a large portion of their cap space, and that is exactly what you will get with Greg Oden.  

Magic C Dwight Howard for Net's C Brook Lopez and 2 First-Round Draft Picks

One of the most recent trade rumors circling around the Internet is the New Jersey Nets trading center Brook Lopez and two future first-round picks for Magic center Dwight Howard and the inflated contract of forward Hedo Turkoglu. 

The thought of two future first-round draft picks is tempting for the Orlando Magic especially at the thought of Howard leaving at the end of the year and getting nothing in return.  I know that thought terrifies Magic fans as well as the Magic's front office, but there is no way the Magic should bite on this offer from the Nets.  

It might sound enticing right now for the Orlando Magic, but in the long run this trade will not work out for the franchise. 

The first reason why this trade won't work out is because Brook Lopez is in no way shape or form on the same level of Dwight Howard.  

Last year, albeit on a worse team, Lopez only racked up 20.4 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game as compared to Howard's totals of 22.9 points per game and 14.1 rebounds per game. 

If the Magic accept this trade, they run the potential of transitioning from a contender to a team who is rebuilding overnight.  

A Jamal Crawford Sign and Trade with the New York Knicks

There are rumors circulating that free agent guard Jamal Crawford could end up back in New York with the Knicks come December 25th.  That wouldn't be a good Christmas gift for either parties involved and here is why.

I know Crawford had the best year of his career while he was with the Knicks in 2007-2008, but that Knicks team is vastly different from the one he would be joining for the 2011-2012 NBA season.  In 07-08 the Knicks didn't have near the talent they have know.  Their best players were David Lee and Eddy Curry, aside from Jamal Crawford.

Crawford put up career numbers points wise because the Knicks needed him to to have any chance of winning.  If Crawford gets traded to the Knicks this year there isn't a lot of room for him on the court offensively speaking.  

Crawford would get limited minutes behind PG Chauncey Billups, and if he made the starting lineup his touches would be limited because of the offense being played through Melo and Stoudemire. 

The New Jersey Nets or Chicago Bulls would be a much better fit for Crawford, because both teams would be able to give him the touches he needs and deserves.

Cleveland Cavaliers Signing F Anthony Parker to a Multi-Year Deal

The rumor circulating around Cleveland right now is that the Cavaliers want to ink Anthony Parker to a multi-year deal.  Their reasoning is that he is a leader and a mentor and they just can't let him go.  

The aging Anthony Parker, 36 years old, is not the kind of player that should be high on any team's free agent signing board.  Not only is he way past his prime, he never has proven to actually be an above average player.  

In his last two years in Cleveland Parker has averaged a whopping 7.8 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game.  When you have a young and athletic team, the last thing you want to do is lock up a large portion of your spending with an aging average player.  

The Cavaliers would be way better off letting Parker go, in addition to PG Baron Davis to free up cap room, and trying to grab a player like Jamal Crawford or Rodney Stuckey to help out the newest additions to the Cavaliers roster, PG Kyrie Irving and SF Tristan Thompson.  

Unfortunately, I don't see the Cavaliers following my advice.  I'm almost certain they will be one of the quietest teams during the free agency period of the 2011-2012 NBA season. 

Ultimately, the Cavaliers will pay way too much for a player whom they see as more of a mentor than a guy who can make a serious impact on the floor. 

A Maximum Contract from Houston New Jersey or Indiana for Nuggets C Nene Hilario

One of the hotter commodities on the market in the 2011-2012 free agency is Denver Nuggets center Nene Hilario.  

While there is no doubting Nene's consistent production with the Nuggets over the past few years, there is no way that his play is deserving of a maximum contract which he most likely will get from a needy team.  

Under the new CBA agreement the maximum contract a player can get is four years and $74 million.  If a team is paying a player that much money he better at least be an All-Star, right?  Well that is one thing Nene has never been even one time in his career.

Interested teams like the Pacers, Nets, Warriors and Rockets have the necessary cap space, but that doesn't mean they should waste it on a player who averages 13.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg for his career (without the years when he played 15 or less games).

The problem with the interested teams is that they are all extremely needy, and that will result in overpaying.  Overpaying for Nene doesn't necessarily mean guaranteed failure, but it does mean committing to an overrated and overvalued player for at least four years.

There are teams that would benefit from getting Nene like Dallas or Miami, but they won't get him because they can't offer a maximum contract like other teams can. 

Ultimately, Nene will go where the money is which will not be a good move for the team that signs him.