There has been a lot of activity in the NBA these past days, maybe due to the fact that the trade deadline is nearing - just a few weeks to go and a few days after the All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. What’s good about the sudden player mobility activities this year is that several blockbuster trades have been made. Not much real trades of players who are role players or bench players, what has been the common theme of trades now are disgruntled superstars who want to be traded to other teams. I can only think of one disoriented superstar whose calls for his trading were not answered - Kobe. From his supermarket videos demanding Andrew Bynum’s ass to be shipped to NJ for Kidd to his subtle messages of trade demands in his personal webpage, none of this have been answered. Instead, Bynum rose up to the challenge, Kobe rescinded his trade demands a bit and the Lakers suddenly become from early-season disasters to contenders. Kidd has been left out in Jersey City faking migraines as a player strike and he is disgruntled because of his least valuable player of a teammate.

Anyway, here are some trades and free-agent signings that have happened over the past few days and some prospective trades that might show up and actually happen as the wild chase to beat the trade deadline goes on.

1. TRADE: Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Aaron Mckie, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol + 1 draft pick - the most lopsided trade that was made for the past several years. This was the trade that sent shock waves to the whole league and probably to the whole basketball world. Dallas Mavs coach Avery Johnson just summed it all up: “Merry Christmas, LA”. A gruntled Memphis star plus a Memphis team looking for cap relief plus a Lakers team looking to appease their top player equals the perfect trading equation. Gasol was supposed to be headed for Chicago but who got the raw end of the deal? The Lakers. What made the difference? The Lakers FO were willing to shed some more luxury tax, the Bulls weren’t. This gives the Lakers a very imposing and tall lineup which goes against the current NBA trend which is the shift to the small-ball system. Lamar Odom will slide at small forward and will be the 4th option on offense. And oh, these teams lost out in the battle for Pau Gasol.
2. TRADE: Shaquille O’ Neal to Phoenix for Shawn Marion + Marcus Banks - Shawn Marion has been asking for a trade since early this season because he is not satisfied with his current paycheck and he wanted more money. The Miami Heat were moving to move someone somewhere because of the dismal season so far. Nothing has gone right for Miami this season. They find ways to get beaten, almost anything you can think of - lopsided, or via an end-game choke. They are really the beneficiaries of this trade because the cap is not an issue and the pieces that Phoenix traded were more talented than Shaq. But Suns President Steve Kerr is going for all the marbles - he wants a championship now and he thinks that Shaq can bring it. But can Shaq adapt to the run and gun style of Phoenix or will they settle for the half-court game?
3. FREE AGENT: Chris Webber to Golden State - The last time that Chris was in Golden State, it ended in a controversial way, Since then he had a pretty nice career, falling short two times to make it to the NBA Finals (Detroit, Sacramento). I’m not really sure if this is the veteran experience that the Warriors need with Webber old and ready to retire but he will surely bring experience to the Warriors especially when they re-enter the playoffs next year. But he has one sentiment - which is the same with Shaq: can he run with the Warriors? Can he keep pace?
4. FREE AGENT: Damon Stoudamire to San Antonio - Get this: San Antonio has the knack and the tradition of getting old players and turning them into champions just in time before they retire in a few years. Look at Finley. Horry. Massenburg. And a lot of past Spurs. Damon Stoudamire’s contract was bought out in Memphis and he signed to San Antonio as the perfect backup point guard to Tony Parker who is currently playing hurt. Will Damon Stoudamire follow the list of players who went to San Antonio to win a championship and then retire? It’s too bleak now with the West still up for grabs.
5. RUMORED PLAYER MOVE: Jason Kidd - Kidd, in my opinion, made the biggest mistake of his life by not signing in San Antonio when he was offered one time to sign with the team. Now he’s disgruntled and surrounded with inferior teammates - just like Kobe in his first and second year in the post-Shaq era. There are several suitors to Kidd but the current pacesetters in the chase for Kidd are the Mavs and the Nuggets. The Mavs are involved with Nets and the Blazers in a three-way trade that will highlight Kidd being sent to the Nets and Mavs point guard Devin Harris to Portland. But it’s gonna take some time. Kidd’s Nets teammate Jason Collins has been already traded and this deal is still in play.

There are a lot of NBA players who are demanding a trade and want out of their current teams. Some of the players who want out are Jerome James of the Knicks, JJ Redick of the Magic, Devean George of the Mavs and Gerald Green of the Wolves. It’s just the beginning. The trade deadline is still weeks away. Expect a lot more of activities and player movement from NBA teams. The deadline seems so near but for NBA teams and players, it’s still far away. Anything wilder can still happen.