Trade ideas to shake up the NBA

Orlando Magic trade: Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson.

New York Knicks trade: Eddy Curry and Kelenna Azubuike.

This trade looks lopsided. After all, the Magic are only giving up the best defensive player in the NBA, a small price to pay for the laziest man ever to play professional basketball and someone with the pretty awesome name of “Azubuike.” But a closer look reveals that neither Curry nor Azubuike have actually played yet this season, making the trade a little less of a slam dunk. Still, one has to think both teams would pull the trigger.

Miami Heat trade: Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Los Angeles Clippers trade: Blake Griffin, Willie Warren, DeAndre Jordan, Brian Cook, Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye, Craig Smith and Rasual Butler.

I love imagining things such as this trade (which works under the cap and actually helps the Heat more than the Clippers). LeBron and Blake on the same team would be magical, and it’s so silly to imagine the Heat immediately breaking up its top three and the Clippers gutting their entire roster for Wade and Bosh. Too bad.

New Orleans Hornets trade: Emeka Okafor and Jarrett Jack to the Utah Jazz; David West to the Phoenix Suns; and Trevor Ariza, Marcus Banks and Willie Green to the San Antonio Spurs.

Utah Jazz trade: Deron Williams to the New Orleans Hornets.

Phoenix Suns trade: Steve Nash to the New Orleans Hornets.

San Antonio Spurs trade: Tony Parker to the New Orleans Hornets.

The four point guards involved in the trade above are, along with Russell Westbrook, the best in their conference and among the best in the NBA. So you can imagine the Hornets’ delight to put them all together on one team. Interior play might end up a little lacking, but boy, will they be able to pass, especially after they trade Quincy Pondexter and Marco Belinelli for Westbrook.

Philadelphia 76ers trade: Elton Brand to the Oklahoma City Thunder; Andre Iguodala and Darius Songaila to the Golden State Warriors; and Andres Nocioni and Jason Kapono to the Washington Wizards.

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Oklahoma City Thunder trade: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golden State Warriors trade: Stephen Curry, Dorell Wright and Monta Ellis to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Washington Wizards trade: John Wall, Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Al Thornton, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin to the Philadelphia 76ers.

While Philly fans would certainly be ecstatic to see this (legal) trade happen, it’s a sobering reminder of the previous front office’s mistakes that Elton Brand could be traded under the cap this season for five of the Thunder’s rotation players, including two of the top 15 players in the NBA.

Meanwhile, the Warriors would realize their long-standing desperate desire for Darius Songaila, and the Wizards would give up on the John Wall era for the much more promising “slow, aging, white, small forwards” era.

Finally, we can achieve a true NBA milestone with the following series of four-team trades:

Memphis Grizzlies trade: Zach Randolph to the Utah Jazz; Greivis Vasquez to the Portland Trail Blazers; and Mike Conley Jr. to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Utah Jazz trade: Deron Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Portland Trail Blazers trade: Elliot Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Philadelphia 76ers trade: Lou Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies trade: Hasheem Thabeet and DeMarre Carroll to the Atlanta Hawks; Rudy Gay to the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Sam Young to the Golden State Warriors.

Atlanta Hawks trade: Marvin Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Cleveland Cavaliers trade: Mo Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies and J.J. Hickson to the Atlanta Hawks.

Golden State Warriors trade: Reggie Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies trade: Darrell Arthur to the New York Knicks; Hamed Haddadi to the Denver Nuggets; and Xavier Henry, O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and $100,000 to the Houston Rockets.

New York Knicks trade: Shawne Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Denver Nuggets trade: Shelden Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies and Melvin Ely to the Houston Rockets.

Houston Rockets trade: Terrence Williams and Yao Ming to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 stretch run Memphis Grizzlies:

Deron Williams, Elliot Williams, Jason Williams (already on the team), Lou Williams, Marvin Williams, Mo Williams, Reggie Williams, Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams, Terrence Williams and finally Yao Ming. Sounds like a team of winners to me.