Will it happen?

The Los Angeles Lakers certainly have pieces that would make the deal plausible.

Lamar Odom can be quite a bit of trouble to any coach and can disrupt team chemistry, but he is also very versatile on the court. His salary is also very reasonable for what he brings to the table, mostly because most teams don’t want to deal with his off-court distractions.

Andrew Bynum is an immensely talented center, but he hasn’t managed to stay healthy. He could be involved with the trade simply off potential alone.

Pau Gasol is likely the central trading chip of any proposed deal for Chris Paul. I’m sure the Lakers would rather do something else, but they might not have the luxury. The New Orleans Hornets would definitely want to get Paul, especially if their All-Star Power Forward David West leaves for the Boston Celtics, as is rumored.

How will it affect Paul’s Fantasy Value?

I doubt it will affect his numbers at all, positively or negatively. His assists might increase a little, his points might decrease a tad, but Paul’s health is much more of a factor on whether he is one of the top 3 Fantasy players in the league or not.

The only place that would make a significant hit to his numbers is the Chicago Bulls because he would be the second best point guard on the team. And that wouldn’t happen.

How will this affect Richard Hamilton’s Fantasy Value?

As a Fantasy player, Rip has never been much of a factor, despite the fact that he was the star for the team for many years. He could score, but he didn’t shoot three pointers, didn’t grab rebounds, didn’t make assists or steals. His free throw percentage was stellar, but he didn’t really shoot enough of them to make an impact. Yahoo’s O-Rank always listed him far above his actual Fantasy worth. It’s hard to think that any other team would get him to improve his Fantasy stats, especially at his age, even if he were to be the starter. If he’s sitting around in the last round (especially in a deep league), he might be worth a glance.

Not so fast!

There are many restricted and unrestricted free agents that could make a real difference on your roster. Some of them might even be picked as high as the third or fourth round in your respective drafts (based on a twelve team league). You’ll have to wait and see which team lands them to a contract, though, before you know exactly where you ought to draft them. Who they are playing with and where they appear on their team’s depth chart could make quite the difference on where you might be willing to draft these players.

Here are a five of the most notable Fantasy NBA players on the free agent market:

2. Jason Richardson can help out quite a bit in three pointers, points, and steals. Look for him to go in the fourth or fifth round. He’s one of the few high scorers that is normally available outside of the top two or three rounds, so if you are finding yourself lacking in points after the first three rounds, Richardson is usually a strong candidate to make up some ground. Depending on which team he lands and the minutes he plays could mean a huge difference in his scoring output.

3. Nene might be one of the top names that NBA teams will be pursuing this offseason. For Fantasy owners, his monstrously high FG% and his good stats in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and low turnovers make him a nice safe addition in your fourth round. As an eligible center, he might go higher where some owners like to reach to fill their center slot.

4. Marc Gasol might go as high as the third round in some leagues, especially considering the fact that he continues to improve year after year. His FG%, points, rebounds, blocks, and low turnovers make him a nice pick. Depending on where he lands, he might even be worth reaching for in the end of the second round. His center eligibility doesn’t hurt either.

5. Thaddeus Young did quite well last year in FG%, points, rebounds, steals, and very low turnovers. Based on his last year’s stats, he might go as high as the seventh round in some leagues, especially by owners who expect him to continue to improve. Based on which team he ends up, his stock could rise even higher.

Other free agents of note that could go in the top 8 rounds of your Fantasy Basketball Draft are:

1. Shane Battier – A perennial safe pick
2. Tyson Chandler – FG, Rebounds, Blocks and low turnovers
3. Rodney Stuckey – FT%, Points, Steals
4. Kris Humphries – FG%, Rebounds, and Blocks
5. Arron Afflalo – FG%, FT%, Three Pointers, Low Turnovers
6. Grant Hill – Good and safe all around
7. Nick Young – FT%, Three Pointers, Points, Low Turnovers

The beauty of steals is that you don’t even need to get huge minutes to get them. He just have to place yourself in the right place on the court.

The numbers in parentheses reflect last years steals numbers.

Tier 1 (160+)

1. Rajon Rondo (189) – Rondo is currently the best thief in the league and there is no reason to doubt that he’ll achieve that honor again.
2. Monta Ellis (143) – Injuries reduced Ellis’s numbers last year, but I think he’ll be returning to form this year.
3. Stephen Curry (152) – Stephen Curry might challenge Rondo. He’s very quick, and he’ll have an even better feel for the game than he did last year.

Tier 2 (130+)

1. Jason Kidd (145) – Despite his age, Kidd still gets a great amount of steals. There is no reason he won’t continue.
2. Dwyane Wade (142) – As long as he can stay healthy, Wade will get a lot of steals.
3. Andre Iguodala (141) – Iguodala is a great all around player, getting threes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. His steals are among the best in the league.
4. Stephen Jackson (132) – Jackson is likely to continue getting a lot of steals for the Bobcats.
5. Josh Smith (130) – Steals and blocked shots are Josh Smith’s specialties. There is no reason to think that Smith won’t improve in both of those categories over the upcoming season.
6. Baron Davis (126) – I’m not sure if Davis will get to 130 or not, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Most of it will be contingent on whether he can remain healthy for another whole season or not.
7. Trevor Ariza (126) – Ariza has long prided himself on playing good defense. As long as he can be healthy, he should get 130 steals.
8. Lebron James (125) – I think Miami will help his steals numbers, even as it lowers his points scored.
9. Raymond Felton (123) – The move to New York and D’Antoni’s system should help Felton get more steals.

Other players to consider for steals, especially in later rounds: Corey Brewer (13th round), Mike Conley (9th round), Ron Artest (12th round).

With that little introduction, let’s jump right into the top guys for dishing out dimes. Like the other categories, the number in parentheses is last year’s number.

Tier 1 (800+ assists)

1. Steve Nash (892) – Yeah, he’s getting old. Yeah, he doesn’t have Amar’e Stoudemire to pass to. Yeah, he’s going to get more than 800 assists again this year.
2. Chris Paul (480) – If Paul can stay healthy, he’ll be competing with Nash for the most assists this year.
3. Deron Williams (798) – Williams’ numbers aren’t likely to decline in any of his categories, except perhaps an increase in turnovers as he gets to know all of his new teammates. With a lot of players who can make shots off of his assists, Williams is likely to pass the 800 mark this year.
4. Rajon Rondo (794) – Rondo was close last year. With normal improvement, Rondo is likely to be a top tier point guard this year.

Tier 2 (600+ assists)

1. Russell Westbrook (652) – Westbrook showed he was a man in the World Championships. I expect him to be knocking on the door of Tier 1 this year, but not quite making it this year.
2. Lebron James (651) – James is kind of unique in this category because he is not a point guard. But he sure passes like one.
3. Baron Davis (598) – Davis is still a very good passer, despite the years catching up to him. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and put him into Tier 2 this year. Injuries could prove me wrong, though.
4. Derrick Rose (469) – I expect great things from Rose this year in the assists department. He’s never gotten quite as many assists as I expect him to, so I might be putting him into the second tier one year too early.
5. Dwyane Wade (501) – I don’t see Wade getting to 600 assists, even with so many guys around him with the ability to finish. It ought to be close though, so I’ll put him in this tier because I think it’ll be awfully close.

Tier 3 (500+)

1. Stephen Curry (472) – I look for Curry to make a big leap in assists this year, ranking among the elite point guards. Because he scores so many points as well as dishing out a great number of assists, I don’t see him quite making it to 600. I guess we’ll see, though.
2. Brandon Jennings (470) – He had an amazing rookie season last year. I expect him to be even better this year. 600 assists is not out of the question, but a point guard who shoots as much as he does sometimes has a tough time reaching the 600 assist mark, especially in his sophomore season.
3. Andre Iguodala (472) – Iguodala does a lot of stuff well, including assists. He should continue to improve and pass 500 assists this year.
4. Darren Collison (425) – Running his own team, instead of backing up Chris Paul, should skyrocket his assist numbers. Will he get to 600? I don’t think so. But it should be close. He should be well into the 500s this coming season.
5. Raymond Felton (446) – As the point guard for New York, Felton’s numbers should change quite a bit. Some of them, like assists, will likely be for the better. Others, like turnovers, are likely to be for the worse.
6. Aaron Brooks (434) – The little point guard for Houston should continue to produce. I see him continuing to improve his assist numbers.
7. Tyreke Evans (414) – Evans had a phenomenal rookie year. I expect him to continue to improve his points and assists numbers.
8. John Wall (Rookie) – I have no idea where Wall is likely to be, but considering his hype and his preseason abilities, I think he might possibly crack into Tier 3 for his rookie season.