Kings guard Kevin Martin has arguably been the most talked-about trade commodity on the market this season. A perennial 20-point scorer and a deadly three-point shooter, he is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NBA.

But Martin is quickly becoming superfluous in Sacramento. The oft-injured six-year veteran has had a difficult time meshing with rookie phenom Tyreke Evans, who quickly captured the hearts of Kings fans during Martin's absence earlier in the season.

Independently, the two guards are terrific players: prolific, efficient scorers with a knack for getting to the free throw line. Together they have been something of a train wreck, though, and the Kings have lost 18 of their last 20 games.

The Mavericks, Celtics and Timberwolves are all rumored to be interested in Martin, and I'm sure there are other suitors flying under the radar as well. (Cleveland, anyone?) Which puts the ball in Sacramento's court. 

Kings general manager Geoff Petrie has been typically coy about his intentions heading into the trade deadline, but now seems as good a time as any to get maximum value for Martin. My contention is that the Kings should trade him only if they can get equal value in return, ideally in the form of a big man or an athletic wing player who can run the break with Evans.

Here are three ways for them to accomplish that:

1. A three-team trade with the Celtics and Bulls that would net the Kings Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons.

In this scenario the Kings send Martin, Andres Nocioni and Sergio Rodriguez to the Celtics, the Celtics send Ray Allen to the Bulls, and the Bulls send the Noah/Hinrich/Salmons package to the Kings.

The Celtics get Martin, an offensive weapon to complement Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, plus bench depth in Nocioni and "Spanish Chocolate". The Bulls knock $18 million off their payroll this summer when Allen's contract expires, freeing them up to make a run at LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. And the Kings get much-needed defensive upgrades at point guard and center.  

Petrie has coveted Noah since the 2007 draft. He's exactly the kind of player the Kings need in the front court: a rebounding specialist who plays no-holds-barred defense and runs the floor with the best of them. It would be a terrific fit.  

Hinrich is an expensive commodity at nearly $10 million per year, but he's smart with the ball and he plays tenacious defense. If nothing else he makes Evans' job easier on a nightly basis. And he's the kind of player the Kings can move next season at the deadline if they need to.

And then there's John Salmons. 

Salmons is the turd in the proverbial punch bowl in this scenario. He's having a terrible year statistically and didn't exactly light the world on fire the last time he was in Sacramento. But his contract is necessary to balance the deal, and he's cheaper than Nocioni. As Pauly D would say, sometimes you just have to take the grenade.

Miraculously this trade works on Trade Machine. It would add two wins to the Kings' record according to a formula developed by statistical super freak John Hollinger.

Not that two wins are going to help, per se. But you take what you can get, right?

2. Kings trade Martin, Kenny Thomas, Francisco Garcia and a conditional 2011 first round draft pick to the 76ers for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert.

I admit it. This one is a bit of a stretch. The Sixers give up their top two defensive players and net Martin, Garcia, a draft pick, and cap room in return. It seems unlikely. 

Then again, what's happening in Philly right now isn't working. The Sixers have some terrific individual defenders, but their team defense has been bad. Even with Iguodala and Dalembert in the lineup they allow nearly 100 points per game. The Sixers are 12 games under .500, and taking on Thomas' expiring contract would give them roughly $8 million of wiggle room next year. It's worth consideration. 

For the Kings, this scenario seems like a no-brainer, but there are a few downsides to consider too.

A) They lose Martin. (That one's a gimme.)

B) Petrie relinquishes cap room until 2011, when Dalembert comes off the books, so it would be the only move they would be able to make, other than the draft, for a year.

C) The Kings would owe Iguodala $40 million over the next three years, and another $15 million in 2013 if he chooses to exercise his player option. That means they would be relying on a core of Evans, Iguodala, Casspi, Thompson and Dalembert/Hawes, and draft picks X,Y, and Z to get them into the playoffs for the next few years. I'm not sure that's going to cut it.

Iguodala and Dalembert would make the Kings a better team. It's just not clear how much better they would be, and if the financial burden would be worth it. 

"A.I. II" would be a terrific complement to Evans when it comes to defense and fast breaks, and Dalembert would be the interior presence the Kings have been missing since, well, forever. But the Kings' perimeter shooting would suffer, and it's pretty clear Iguodala is overpaid, making the decision a tough one.   

The bottom line is this: if you put Gilbert Arenas' gold-plated Desert Eagle to my head and forced me to choose, I would say yes to this deal. I think Iguodala is a better athlete and a better defender than Martin, and right now that's what the Kings need.

By the way, I included the Kings' 2011 draft pick instead of 2010 because this draft is loaded with athletic forwards and the Kings need to put some pressure on Jason Thompson. Minus Allen Iverson and Elton Brand, the Sixers are a young team anyway. They need another draft pick about as much as Octomom needs another baby. Let them wait a year.

By the way No. 2, thank you to Blake Mehigan of Bleacher Report. I used his Sixers-Kings idea as a skeleton for this trade. 

3. A three-team trade involving the Wizards and Timberwolves that would bring Kevin Love, Brendan Haywood and Javaris Crittenton to Sacramento.

This is a controversial one, and not just because of Crittenton either. In order to bring Love and Co. to Sacramento, the Kings would have to give up Jason Thompson as well as Kevin Martin.

The details:

The Kings send Thompson to the Wizards and Martin to the Wolves. In return they get Love from Minnesota, creating the ultimate All-American Basketball Alliance front court; and Haywood and Crittenton, both of whom have expiring contracts, from Washington.

To complete the trade the Wizards send young center JaVale McGee to the Wolves, and the Wolves cede Mark Blount's expiring contract to the Wizards.

It's a good situation for all three teams. Sacramento gets two double-double guys in Love and Haywood; one of whom, Haywood, they can choose not to re-sign if they like. Minnesota gets a young center and a perimeter shooter, both of which are items on David Kahn's insanely-long shopping list. And Washington picks another $2 million in cap space as well as a young, hard-working forward in Thompson.

Oh, and the Wizards clean house by shipping one half of the biggest scandal in franchise history out of town at no detriment to the Kings, who can simply let Crittenton walk at the end of the season. Everybody wins.

Now to the controversial part.  

Thompson is a fan favorite in Sactown, a quick-to-smile forward who works hard and lets his emotions show. He is one of Petrie's better draft picks and a good friend of up-and-comer Donte Greene. It's hard to imagine Kings fans taking his departure lightly, especially when the guy replacing him is Kevin Love.

But Love is better than the overhyped, unathletic white guy you think he is.

He is a monster on the boards, one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, as well as an inconspicuous scorer - 15.3 points per game on just over 11 shots - and a good passer. He'll fit in well with the offense, even as his defense causes you to scream obscenities at the TV screen like Larry Bowa. Then again, Thompson commits the most fouls in the league. It's not like Love's replacing Ben Wallace or anything. 

Haywood and Crittenton would be a combined $7.4 million off the books at the end of the season. And if Haywood turns out to be a good fit with the team, which I'm sure he would be since he's an excellent defender, the Kings could always dip into Kenny Thomas' expiring contract to keep him.

Losing Thompson in addition to Martin would be a tough blow to the fans, but in the long run I think it would make the Kings a better team. If I'm Geoff Petrie and the offer is on the table, I would strongly consider it.