2. Minnesota Timberwolves

They did well by unloading Michael Olowokandi, a drain on anyone's roster, to the Boston Celtics a few weeks ago. But they shouldn't stop there. They are one of the most disappointing teams in the league, and G.M. Kevin McHale will not hesitate to pull the trigger. But as for the obvious question ... no, he won't trade Kevin Garnett. Besides the Big Ticket, McHale's next most valuable piece might be the underrated Trenton Hassell, a defensive stopper and a good one-on-one player, but he won't part with him, either. Look for a deal involving point guard Marko Jaric, who looks uncomfortable playing with K.G.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

Yes, they have LeBron James. But Danny Ferry, the Cavs' first-year G.M., is a smart guy and knows his team is nowhere near the Pistons or the Heat, and, for that matter, not much better than the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets or Indiana Pacers (even with the injured Jermaine O'Neal). That became even more apparent when Larry Hughes got the depressing news that his broken finger required a second surgery. Ferry isn't going to mortgage the future, but he comes from a winning tradition with the San Antonio Spurs.

I could see him parting with Drew Gooden, whose relentless rebounding would be attractive to any number of teams, in exchange for a shooter to take the pressure off James.

4. Golden State Warriors

Ever so quietly, the Northern Californians have turned what seemed to be a playoff-bound season into a supreme disappointment. Point guard Baron Davis, who should be channeling, say, Chauncey Billups, is channeling Steve Francis instead. But no team is going to take on Davis' contract, which has $49 million left after this season. The Warriors also have two other big-contract guys in Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, and, for good measure, they owe Adonal Foyle $34 million through '09 -- Adonal Foyle! Untradeables all, though they probably wouldn't want to get rid of Murphy in any case.

That leaves Mike Dunleavy, and I could see his outside touch being valuable to any number of teams.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

My guess is, the 76ers will slide into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the eighth seed. That isn't good enough for a team with one of the most exciting players in the game. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... I think it's time. Time for the 76ers to part with Allen Iverson.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver can replace Iverson's scoring. But in any trade scenario, A.I. would bring valuable pieces, probably a legit player, maybe a prospect and a draft pick and also clear cap space to go after a free agent. No deals involving Iverson seem to be in the wind, but this is about which teams need to make a trade, right? It's time to shop A.I. to the West.