The LA Lakers are a mess and the team is likely not going to get any better this season, but that doesn't mean that can't begin preparations for the future by adding younger talent.

Pau Gasol is now coming off the bench and while he has yet to complain, it is hard to imagine a former All-Star is happy with his situation on the West Coast. A deal before the NBA trade deadline could help him and the franchise.

Atlanta is one team that could use a veteran in the paint and the Hawks have their own disgruntled player in Josh Smith. While this deal seems a bit one-sided, both teams would get what they need to improve and for the Hawks, they still have a shot to make a big move in the Eastern Conference. Adding Gasol would only improve their shot at success.

With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, basketball experts believe a number of big-named players will move in the coming weeks, but a deal like this is one that could change the landscape in the league for the next few seasons and one that could help the LA Lakers keep Dwight Howard on their roster for a few more years.

Two teams not expected to make much noise in the 2012-13 NBA season were Chicago and Atlanta as both teams entered the year with big question marks, but both teams are playing at a high level and making a big push in the Eastern Conference.

While the Bulls and Hawks are overachieving, questions remain concerning players that may or may not play for the teams after this year and that has led to several trade rumors in recent weeks.

Josh Smith of Atlanta is in the final year of his contract and reports have the young All-Star looking to leave the Hawks after the year is finished. The Bulls have problems of their own with forward Carlos Boozer as the veteran has never really fit in with the team or its fans since his arrival from Utah.

Bleacher Report writer Andres Montero has suggested the two teams get together and make a deal before the NBA trade deadline next month. This deal would give the Bulls a young dynamic player to pair with Derrick Rose and the Hawks would get a proven player with leadership skills to help the younger talent on the team.

A deal like this doesn't happen often, but with the league's salary cap rules, more deals involving big time players are happening lately. This trade could actually help both teams over the second half of the season and into the future.

Monta Ellis trade rumors hint a Milwaukee Bucks trade could take place within the next month. According to a new report on Tuesday (Jan. 15) there is a market for Ellis, but it could all come down to which players a trading partner is willing to take from the Bucks with him.

While it is clear that Ellis offers a lot to any team out there, Milwaukee really wants to trade Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert, and Beno Udrih. Those are three guys that don't have a lot of value right now, but who might be required components of any deal. The good part of the equation is that Udrih and Dalembert are in the final years of their current contracts.

Ellis is getting paid $11 million this season and then he has a player option of $11 million in the 2013-14 season. He could opt out and become an unrestricted free agent, meaning Milwaukee would be left with nothing if he wants a new deal. This is why he is a good player for another franchise to pursue, especially because he isn't locked into a longterm deal yet.

There are a few young players like Brandon Jennings and Larry Sanders that the Bucks front office would like to build around, but the team needs more talent to become serious contenders in the Eastern Conference. Trading Ellis might seem like a step in the wrong direction, but it would be catastrophic if they lost him to free agency for nothing.

Do you think any of the Monta Ellis trade rumors will evolve into something? What team do you think would be the best fit for a player like Ellis? Could the Milwaukee Bucks net a young asset or two for him?

Could the Bucks trade Brandon Jennings before the trade deadline?

It's possible. Even though the Bucks have doing relatively well, as they are seventh in the Eastern Conference and a couple games above .500, the Bucks still aren't championship contenders and likely won't be anytime soon. They will need to trade one of their bigger stars in order to acquire some talent in return.

Jennings, who is arguably the Bucks best player, is going to be a restricted free-agent this year and will almost surely be given a max contract by some team. The Bucks may not want to match the offer and lose Jennings for nothing and so it may be wise to trade him. One offer that has been come up would be to send Jennings to Phoenix for Goran Dragic and Marcin Gortat.

The Suns are in complete rebuilding mode and want to shed Gortat's salary and would part ways with Dragic in order to get Jennings. The Suns would then be able to build Jennings, while the Bucks would not only get a replacement for Jennings but also a solid big man in return in Gortat. The only question is if the Bucks will actually be brave enough to move Jennings.