NBA Trade Rumors: Deals Too Outrageous or Unrealistic to Happen This Season

The NBA trade rumor mill is buzzing, and while such traffic presents us with a number of intriguing scenarios, it also offers a fair share of unrealistic ones as well.

Amidst such a heavy flow of information, it is unrealistic to expect every rumor that rolls across the table to come to fruition. The fact is that certain deals don't make much sense for at least one party involved, paving the way for the potential accord to fall apart.

Whether it be a team's refusal to relinquish necessary assets, an organization's unwillingness to let go of a pipe dream or the fact that the best offer has been put forth and it is simply not enough, we shouldn't hold our breath for a select number of deals to become a reality.

A Two-Team Deal That Lands Chris Paul with New York Knicks

It came as no surprise when Adrian Wojnarowski and Mar J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Chris Paul requested a trade to the New York Knicks last week. The real surprise, though, would be if either Paul or the Knicks thought the chances of New York landing the star point in a straight-up deal was at all realistic.

To be fair, if everything went a certain way and Paul's leverage truly forced the New Orleans Hornets into a corner, a straight-up deal between the two teams could be brokered. That being said, such a scenario is unrealistic at best.

The Knicks heard for the better part of last season that they didn't have the assets to acquire Carmelo Anthony, and yet, he now wears orange and blue. However, looking back, New York had plenty to offer, and the Denver Nuggets aversion to the Knicks offers were merely spiteful/a way to drive up Anthony's price.

This time around, the Knicks are hearing the same thing in regards to their assets, the only difference is it's true. Even if New York was to offer Chauncey Billups and his expiring deal, Landry Fields, Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert, their proposal pales in comparison to what many other teams have already offered.

A more realistic scenario involves a third team with an expendable star—a tall order, to put it lightly—getting involved.

As long as the Knicks have nothing more to offer though, one would expect the NBA-operated Hornets not to entertain the idea of brokering a deal.

Josh Smith to the Orlando Magic

Prior to the NBA lockout, the Atlanta Hawks began to gauge Josh Smith's trade value, and since the lockout has ended, the forward reportedly has made it clear he would welcome a trade to a different team.

One of Smith's preferred destinations is Orlando, and given the Magic would jump at the opportunity to acquire anyone that gives them a fighting chance at retaining Dwight Howard, they would welcome such an acquisition. It doesn't hurt that Howard himself endorses such a move.

While Smith seems like a perfect fit in Orlando, is a trade actually possible? Financially, yes. Logistically, though? Not so much.

The Hawks may not be keen on holding onto Smith, but they are not about to ship him to the Magic for nothing. Smith is a force on both ends of the floor who—whether Atlanta likes to admit it or not—was an integral part of any success they had last season.

If the Magic want Smith, they are going to have to relinquish some actual value in return for the forward. But what do they have to offer?

Jameer Nelson is an asset, as is Brandon Bass, but outside of those two, the Magic don't have much. Additionally, while Nelson is an effective floor general, he may not interest the Hawks all that much thanks to the emergence of Jeff Teague in last season's playoffs.

Furthermore, Orlando itself could be reluctant to include Nelson in any deal. Not only is he a good friend of Howard's, but it would likely take both he and Smith to get Howard to, at the very least, consider staying on with the Magic for the long haul.

Smith alone would not be enough.

So, not only do the Magic have very little to offer in return to Smith, but Nelson, the best asset they can offer in return, is needed to convince Howard to stay as well. His departure would offset Smith's arrival.

Without Nelson included in any package—and perhaps even with him included—Orlando just doesn't have the talent to offer Atlanta in return for Smith. 

Chris Paul to Clippers Without Eric Gordon or DeAndre Jordan Back to Hornets

To be honest, the Los Angeles Clippers have plenty to offer in return for Chris Paul, but the deal currently on the table doesn't stand much of a chance of going through.

According to David Aldridge, the Clippers are currently offering Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman's expiring contract and the unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves. While this is strong groundwork, Los Angeles' offer is missing something.

Like Eric Gordon or DeAndre Jordan.

No matter where Paul gets dealt to, he will, in all likelihood, opt out of his contract at the end of the season. He maximizes his earning potential by doing that, while keeping his options open.

The Clippers are unwilling to relinquish a serious asset like Gordon or Jordan without a guarantee Paul re-signs with them. Unfortunately, that's an assurance they will unlikely receive.

So, in essence, Los Angeles' package is based off the theory that they would be obtaining Paul as a rental for strictly this season. In this case, it makes sense for them to withhold Jordan and Gordon. However, it doesn't make sense for the Hornets to accept the current offer.

Minnesota's draft pick is incredibly valuable to New Orleans, but if you take that away, the Clippers' offer is strikingly similar to one that the Knicks could offer in terms of expiring deals and potential impact. 

Yes, the draft pick certainly makes the Clippers offer better—the New York comparison was just for effect—but it is nowhere near enough for the Hornets to justify shipping out their star.

It is not outrageous to think that Los Angeles can acquire Paul, but it is unrealistic to believe they will do so without including either Jordan or Gordon.

Russell Westbrook to the Boston Celtics

Chris Broussard of ESPN tweeted that after last season's playoffs that the Boston Celtics offered Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins.

Not only was such a deal illegal in principle since Perkins and Green could not be sent back to their previous teams before July, but Boston's proposal made absolutely no sense for the Thunder. Why on earth would Oklahoma City give up a newly acquired big man and star point guard in exchange for a modest forward and a facilitator whose team doesn't have enough faith in him?

The deal made perfect sense for the Celtics, as it reversed a trade that landed them Green in exchange for Perkins, and would have eliminated any guess work as to whether or not their floor general was capable of becoming the team's true leader.

Not so surprisingly, the Thunder rejected such an offer, killing talks before they even actually started.

It's a safe bet to assume that we have heard the last of this one-sided offer.

Los Angeles Lakers Landing Both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul

The real problem with the Los Angeles Lakers landing both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard lies with Chris Paul.

While the New Orleans Hornets have not ruled out accepting a package from the Lakers headlined by Pau Gasol in exchange for Paul, such an accord remains unrealistic.

Gasol is 31; how much is he likely to contribute to the rebuilding Hornets before his game falls off completely? Additionally, after his performance in last season's playoffs, it has been questioned as to whether the time for him to enter a decline is now.

Accepting Gasol doesn't make much sense for New Orleans. While it is a stretch say Paul winding up with the Lakers is completely unrealistic, it arguably doesn't make sense for the Hornets to accept Andrew Bynum either.

Bynum's ability to make a two-way impact cannot be overlooked, but neither can his aversion to consistency. And, as SI.com's Sam Amick points out, he would not be a good fit alongside the incumbent Emeka Okafor.

The Lakers, in theory, have plenty to offer New Orleans. However, at the same time, they are also limited in what they can send the Hornets way because they are unlikely to be amenable to dealing both big men in exchange for a point guard, especially with Howard still out there.

Los Angeles' preference is to assemble a package around Gasol for Paul, as Bynum is viewed as the better candidate for a Howard trade. However, Gasol is not nearly enough to land Paul, and even if the Lakers sweetened the pot with Lamar Odom, how does the 32-year-old factor into New Orleans rebuilding plans?

Just like Gasol, he doesn't. And better yet, with Odom out of the picture, who does Los Angeles pair with Bynum to pry Howard away from the Orlando Magic?

So, while the Lakers have the financial capacity to obtain both Paul and Howard, it is outrageous to think that they will.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here @Dan_Favale.