5-on-5: Predicting the biggest trades in the West

— -- Which West team will trade its way into title contention? And who will be the biggest name on the move? Our experts break down the most interesting storylines in the Western Conference heading into the Feb. 18 NBA trade deadline.

1. Which West finals contender should make a deal at the deadline?

Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: The Clippers, though I'm not sure they have what it takes to get a meaningful trade done.

While they've excelled during the absence of Blake Griffin (17-4), only a handful of those wins have come against .500 or better competition, and though the bench has been better, there's still a negative impact whenever non- Chris Paul lineups are fielded.

If the Clippers have any hope of staying attached to Oklahoma City in the race for third place (and thus avoiding the Warriors in the first round), they'll need more help.

Chad Ford, ESPN Insider: Oklahoma City. I think the Thunder have the talent to compete with the Warriors and Spurs, but they need a little help -- no, a lot of help -- at the shooting guard position. The combo of Dion Waiters, Andre Roberson and Anthony Morrow just isn't getting it done.

Steve Ilardi, ESPN Insider: For OKC to have any realistic chance of advancing past the Warriors and Spurs in the West, it'll need to upgrade its backcourt -- preferably with a shooting guard who can both defend and space the floor. Quality 2s are in short supply, so the Thunder may need to settle for an undervalued 1 such as Sacramento's Darren Collison, who could pose matchup nightmares in tandem with  Russell Westbrook in the backcourt.

Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: Definitely the Thunder. If not for Golden State, we'd be talking about OKC's offense in historical terms. But a middle-of-the-pack defense is not going to get it done against the Warriors or Spurs in the postseason. They need better defensive bench options in the middle and on the wing. Those sound like minor flaws, but you can't have any flaws in the West this season.

David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: Considering how strong the Warriors and Spurs look, we need to focus on OKC. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, playing this well, the Thunder have a chance in any series. Adding more athletes would give them a truly overwhelming advantage in that aspect of the game, which could be the recipe for beating those other two powerful teams.

2. Which West playoff contender should make a deal at the deadline?

Elhassan: Houston, but as a seller. Dwight Howard's impending free agency (if he opts out) means Houston should start exploring deals for him. The Rockets can't afford to lose him at season's end with nothing to show for it (ask the Lakers about how that feels), and keeping him isn't going to result in a miraculous playoff run like we saw last year.

Houston should be able to get a good-enough haul to keep it competitive enough to make the playoffs this year, especially considering the extent to which Howard has been marginalized this season.

Ford: The Clippers, Grizzlies, Mavs and Rockets all should. None can get past the Warriors or Spurs for a title, and three of the four are getting pretty long in the tooth.

It's the toxic chemistry in Houston that needs the biggest change. The Rockets have a lot of talent but I don't see how this team wins anything together. Howard is probably the best candidate to move, especially given how the league is evolving.

Ilardi: It's probably time for the Clippers to concede that Griffin and DeAndre Jordan -- both superb individual players -- just don't mesh in the frontcourt. Despite the broken hand and tarnished rep, Griffin still has huge trade value. Swapping Griffin for the Celtics' Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley and draft picks could work under the cap and potentially help both teams.

Doolittle: Houston has been perplexing, and another Rockets slump could mean no playoffs, as disappointing an outcome as a team has had in recent years. A shake-up may be in order. I'd consider cashing in Howard and turning the middle over to Clint Capela. Youth, energy and defense is what the Rockets need back, making Boston an attractive trade partner.

Thorpe: My Aunt Karen in Portland refused to believe the doomsayers, and the Blazers have made her and that great fan base very happy. But they have a shortage of capable bigs. Targeting Thaddeus Young of Brooklyn would make sense, or perhaps they can pry away Minnesota's underrated Gorgui Dieng.

3. Which likely lottery team in the West should sell at the deadline?

Elhassan: Phoenix, by a country mile. This roster is still ill-fitting, there has been acrimony and turmoil, yet the Suns have desirable talent. From Markieff Morris (low-post scorer) to  P.J. Tucker (tough on-ball defender) to Jon Leuer (stretch big), there is something on the Suns' roster for every wannabe contender out there.

Ford: The Pelicans. Ryan Anderson is probably gone this summer. Tyreke Evans ( currently injured) is a poor fit next to Anthony Davis. If they can get a lottery pick or good young player for either guy, I think they have to do it. This team needs a total makeover and it needs to quit winning games right now for a better chance of moving up in the lottery.

Ilardi: The Suns have had a disastrous season. After alienating Markieff Morris by trading away twin brother  Marcus (after the two signed below-market deals to stay together), they overpaid for Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler in free agency.

They need to hit the reset button -- again -- and could make a strong move in that direction by unloading one (or both) of their bloated contracts, with Markieff thrown into the deal as a sweetener.

Doolittle: The Pelicans need to get things pointed in the right direction before we start our "Anthony Davis to the Bulls" think pieces. There remains too much redundancy on the roster and too many fragile players, and they can't afford to lose Anderson for nothing this summer.

Thorpe: The idea coach George Karl is to blame for the mess in Sacramento defies logic. For the past decade, lots of new coaches, same result. The trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay is one the least complementary groupings in recent years. Owner Vivek Ranadive should be channeling his inner "Trading Places" voice and scream to general manager Vlade Divac, "Sell! Sell! Sell!"

4. Which big-name West player is most likely to be on the move?

Elhassan: While I'm skeptical that any particular big name is likely to be moved, there's a strong case for Howard to be changing ZIP codes, as noted above. But again, that's still a long shot.

Ford: What about Mike Conley? The Grizzlies will have to start rebuilding at some point, and their role players aren't going to fetch them a major piece. Conley has indicated he'll play the field. Perhaps there's a deal that speeds up the rebuild in Memphis.

Ilardi: No big-name West players look likely to be on the move, unless Danilo Gallinari or Markieff Morris counts as a big name. Among the star players named in recent trade rumors -- Howard, Cousins and Griffin -- Howard is the one that would least shock me. And I still consider such a deal unlikely before the deadline.

Doolittle: I'll go with Howard. Moving him would preempt the concern Houston must have about his opting out this summer, and the Rockets have a ready-made replacement on the roster. Howard could bring back a legit package of talent to help right away.

Thorpe: Does Gay count as a big name? It is clear the Kings want to move him, but there are no indications this front office has the chops to make a good deal. The Clippers moving Jamal Crawford is perhaps a more likely scenario. And I could see the Nuggets taking the right deal for Gallinari, though I don't think they are shopping him, just listening smartly.

5. What is a trade you would like to see in the West?

Elhassan: It will never happen, and it shouldn't happen, but I must admit the idea of a Blake Griffin-Kevin Durant swap intrigues me for the simple fact that we seldom see superstar-for-superstar trades in the NBA anymore.

Ford: A Pacers-Kings deal involving Monta Ellis. Sacramento offered Ellis a $48 million deal last summer, but he went to Indiana, where he hasn't been much help. The Pacers could trade Ellis to Sacramento for Ben McLemore and Collison. McLemore still has a lot of upside and Collison was a hit last time he played in Indy. The deal would make more sense for the Pacers than for the Kings, though.

Ilardi: If Durant were to decide he needs a change of scenery and relocation to a bigger market, I'd love to see a straight-up swap of KD for Griffin. Griffin is a local hero in Oklahoma and would be pretty sweet consolation for a Thunder team losing one of the game's brightest stars.

The Clips, of course, would vault immediately into serious title contention with the addition of Durant.

Doolittle: Sticking with the Rockets, I'd love to see them land Anderson. Ty Lawson makes sense for New Orleans, both as a fit with Davis and for coach Alvin Gentry's offense. The Rockets can offer up Terrence Jones as an Anderson replacement.

If the Pelicans are looking to shake things up, they also could get Houston another bench scorer, such as Jrue Holiday, to provide what the Rockets had hoped they would get from Lawson. In this scenario, the Rockets could keep Howard.

Thorpe: Try this one: Cousins and Collison head to Oklahoma City for Enes Kanter and rookie point guard Cameron Payne. If any team can save Cousins from himself and get the best from him, it will be a team with bigger stars, a coach like Billy Donovan and a front office that is meticulous about helping its players grow.

The Kings would get their future starting point guard and a legit big man. They are not likely to get equal value for Cousins, but at least they would get two young starters with excellent potential.