NBA Trade Rumors: Hottest Trade Targets and the Teams They're Linked To

With free agency soon to start, speculation and rumors are beginning to run rampant across the NBA world with quite a few notable players in the mix.

Despite three of the players on this list of trade candidates scheduled to hit free agency in 2012, there's still a very high chance that their current teams end up trading them before that time so that they can get some compensation. A few elite players have already announced possible plans of departing, and it may be in the best interest of those specific teams to make a trade so that they can gain some valuable assets rather than allow the player to walk.

The period to begin signing and trading players begins on Dec. 9, which means we'll be in a very brief window of deals being made. What that signifies is that all hell is set to break loose between the 9th and the season opener on the 25th as general managers and presidents look to make moves quick enough for their new players to at least begin to get adjusted to their respective new environments.

Along with the role players that will inevitably make their moves across the country, a few elite players may be on the move as well, which means that the current status atop each conference's standings will only be decided upon the end of the free-agency period.

With these five names showing up in trade talks most frequently, we'll take a look at why they could be traded and who they're being targeted by.

Chris Paul

We may as well start this article off with the obvious by first speaking of New Orleans Hornets point guard who, even though he doesn't become a free agent until next summer, is still receiving a lot of national attention on account of the incessant trade rumors linking him to the New York Knicks.

All day on the first of December, the NBA was reacting to Paul's agent reportedly telling the New Orleans that his client wanted a trade to the Knicks. It didn't come as a surprise either as he and Carmelo Anthony had spent the majority of the summer together in New York, which would give anyone reason to make a permanent home in the big apple.

After the reaction of the NBA world responding to Paul demanding a trade, The Times-Picayune is reporting that Paul never demanded a trade in the first place and that he's still committed to the Hornets cause. In what we believe is most likely a public relations apology to the Hornets fanbase, there's still plenty of reason to believe that Paul would like to be in a different uniform come next year.

In fact, the Hornets have already received offers, with one notable being the Boston Celtics offering Rajon Rondo for Paul. CP3 declared that he wouldn't have re-signed with the Celtics if he did end up being traded there.

Paul has been with the Hornets since being drafted in 2005 and has led them to some of their best seasons, including a 56-win season in 2008, where the team also won their first-ever Southwest division title. He has become arguably the greatest point guard in the league and would be an asset and an enormous upgrade for any team striving for a floor general.

Linked to: New York, Boston, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers

Andre Iguodala

Let's just face it, a trade involving Andre Iguodala is going to happen sooner or later. Even after a number of proposals of Iguodala leaving the Philadelphia 76ers were shot down over the past year, there's still plenty of reason to believe that the Sixers will soon be departing with Iggy.

The problem with the Sixers organization when dealing with Iguodala is that they've expected too much out of him since he was drafted by the ninth pick in 2004. The team expects Andre to be a franchise player that can become an All-Star, score 25 points per night and lead the team to victories, and that's asking too much.

Iguodala isn't a top scoring option. He's an elite athlete that's emphatic at finishing around the rim, can hit the jump shot from time to time and play better perimeter defense than about 99.9 percent of the league, with only the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Tony Allen giving him significant competition.

Even though he's a superior defender that utilizes his athleticism to give his assignment fits, the Sixers still expect too much out of a player that has failed to average more than 20 points per game on quite a few offensively challenged Philadelphia teams.

Soon to be 28 years old, Iguodala will need to be traded soon or the 76ers will be forced to continue playing him at small forward before just waiting for his contract to run its course and letting a team pick him up.

Linked to: L.A. Lakers and Golden State

Chris Kaman

Taken with the sixth pick in the historic 2003 NBA draft, Chris Kaman hasn't exactly lived up to the potential that four of the top five picks had for the Los Angeles Clippers. But he's been relatively solid and has given the Clips some good years—which includes their lone postseason appearance of the decade.

Kaman has been an interesting case for the Clippers, as they don't know what to expect out of him each season. He has shown the potential to become one of the league's great centers on both sides of the ball, as he has averaged as much as 19 points per game in 2010 and three blocks per in 2007, but the constant and nagging injuries have given the team reason to explore trade options.

Kaman has played in 32 games or fewer two of the past three years, and it has opened the door for a younger and more reliable center in DeAndre Jordan to take advantage. Jordan made tremendous strides last season, averaging seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game while complementing the overall outlook of this team with his elite-level athleticism that had him competing with teammate Blake Griffin for the top highlight dunks.

With the Clippers looking to keep Jordan and Kaman becoming a free agent next year, the team will no doubt be angling for ways to unload Kaman while it's possible to get something out of him before he becomes a free agent, which would leave the Clippers with nothing to show for it other than wasted years and a lot of money down the drain.

It's already been rumored that Kaman was offered to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Iguodala, but that idea is now no more, as the Sixers recently utilized their first-round pick to select a center.

Linked to: Detroit

Josh Smith

Josh Smith joined the league as a 19-year-old with an attitude problem who didn't know how to harness his athletic ability.

Today, Josh Smith is a 25-year-old with an attitude problem who still doesn't know how to harness his athletic ability despite being in the league for seven seasons. The Atlanta Hawks selected Smith straight out of the prestigious Oak Hill Academy with the 17th pick in 2004 and have received a lot in return for his services, including having one of the most dynamic and explosive players in the open court.

That's just the problem with Smith; he's one of the most dynamic and explosive players only in the open court. For someone with as much strength, speed, length and athleticism as Smith, you'd easily expect him to drive on just about every occasion against the slower power forwards that he's usually matched up against.

Instead, Smith will only seldom drive and will take more ill-advised jump shots before he gives a full-on effort of driving down the lane and finishing.

Smith has shown us how powerful and how ruthless of a player he can be, and it's a supreme disappointment that it hasn't translated to greater success for him and the Atlanta Hawks. With the team looking to make a move in order to be put over the top instead of being second-round fodder for the Eastern Conference elite, Smith could be a casualty and could find himself out of Atlanta by the time the season ends.

At 26 years old, Smith will still receive plenty of attention from suitors looking for an athletic defender that can man the fort and defend three positions at an effective rate.

Linked to: Boston, New Jersey, Houston, and Orlando

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard wasn't going to let Chris Paul steal all the thunder, as he too has been in the middle of a number of trade rumors. Like Paul, Howard will also be a huge name that will be available in the summer of 2012, and he could be on the way out due to the direction of his team, much like Paul as well.

Howard leaving Orlando has been discussed quite frequently over the past year, as some believe he has grown disgruntled and frustrated with how the franchise is run overall. In an interview with Esquire, Howard admitted that he had felt like he couldn't do anything else for the team that had drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2004.

He went on to talk about the love he has for the people of Orlando and how he even cried on the bench because of the fiery passion of the fans that have grown to love the 6'11" center that is very involved with his city. Howard leaving the Magic would be a devastating blow to Orlando, which is still overcoming the heartache of losing out on Shaquille O'Neal to the L.A. Lakers 15 years ago.

In a wild twist of events, it turns out that the Lakers have popped up among these rumors as one of Howard's possible destinations for next year. Seeing Howard play with the Lakers wouldn't be surprising, to say the least, since he's looking to be on a championship-caliber squad where the front office has the ambition and means to make it to the promised land.

Howard has done just about all he could for the Magic, including leading the team to three consecutive Southeast division titles, two 59-win seasons and an NBA Finals appearance in 2009.

Linked to: L.A. Lakers, New Jersey, New York