By Jarrad Todd

Most trades in the NBA produce a winner and a loser. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. I propose 4 blockbuster trades that could be beneficial for both teams.

I haven’t just plucked these names out of the air. These trades actually do work under current salary cap restrictions.

BULLS get: Lamar Odom
LAKERS get: Ben Gordon (assuming he signs 1 year qualifying offer), Andres Nocioni

BULLS get: Elton Brand, Brevin Knight
CLIPPERS get: Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas

CHI: These blockbuster trades would give the Chicago Bulls a team that is capable of contending in the East next year. The benefits are obvious. Young, quick, long, athletic, together with the solid low post force of Brand. Put this all together and you have a situation that is tailor made for Derrick Rose’s hometown Chicago debut.
Projected starting 5 (PS5): Rose, Deng, Odom, Brand, Noah

LAL: This is the big one. For me, Lamar Odom just doesn’t have it. Toughness, grit, performing under pressure, he always seems to come up short. Gordon is a flat-out scorer (18.6 ppg) who could thrive in the triangle alongside Kobe. Nocioni’s three point shooting at the small forward position would provide a more balanced line-up next to Gasol and Bynum, but crucially, his toughness would be huge for the Lakers. Therefore, this trade would allow the Lakers to fill the two holes that were exposed in the 2008 NBA Finals; toughness and a reliable second scoring option.
PS5: Gordon/Fisher, Bryant, Nocioni, Gasol, Bynum

LAC: In the strong Western Conference the Los Angeles Clippers must rebuild around exciting 2008 rookie Al Thornton. This trade would be a good start. Gooden’s expiring contract will give financial flexibility going forward, and Hinrich and Thomas will add to their young and promising nucleus.
PS5: Hinrich, Eric Gordon (draft?), Thornton, Gooden/Thomas, Kaman

BLAZERS get: Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi
SPURS get: 2008 1st Round Pick (no. 13), Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack, Martell Webster, Channing Frye

POR: For the Portland Trail Blazers this trade would catapult them into the top tier of the Western Conference as an immediate contender. Enough said.
PS5: Blake, Roy, Ginobili, Aldridge, Oden

SAS: Firstly, I want to stress the point that this trade would not have been necessary if the Spurs hadn’t traded away the rights to Luis Scola. But as they did, they need to get younger and quickly. Therefore, the obvious choice for trade is Ginobili because his scoring can be replaced. This trade would inject much needed youth and athleticism into the line-up, as well as more scoring options. In a year or two, the Spurs should be back in contention with a more balanced attack.
PS5: Parker, Webster, Outlaw/Bowen, Oberto/Frye, Duncan

CAVS get: Vince Carter, Trenton Hassell
NETS get: 2008 1st Round Pick (no. 19), 2009 1st Round Pick, Anderson Varejao, Eric Snow, Damon Jones

CLE: The King finally gets a legitimate running mate in Carter. His scoring is exactly what the Cavaliers need.
PS5: West, Carter, James, Wallace, Ilgauskas

NJN: Lets face it, Vince Carter did not deserve a 4 year $61.8 million extension last summer after choking in the 2007 playoffs. The New Jersey Nets are going nowhere with him as their franchise player, so they must get value for him now before his skills diminish further. This trade would greatly assist the Net’s rebuilding effort by clearing cap room (Snow and Jones’s expiring contacts) and adding young pieces in Varejao and a pair of first rounders in 2008 and 2009 (ex. Brandon Rush or Chris Douglas-Roberts?). It would also allow them to take a high risk/high reward player with their No. 10 selection, perhaps Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan or Danilo Gallinari.
PS5: Harris, CDR (draft?), Jefferson, Varejao, Krstic/Boone