It is getting into the funny season in the NBA.  Yes, that's right, from today there is exactly one month remaining for teams to tweak their rosters to make those playoff runs.  Will your team make a deal to make your team better?

This time of the year is renowned for its hot air talk, with rumors running rampart and unrealistic deals hitting the papers we read and the sportstalk radio we hear.  So who will be discussed this year?

The Indiana Pacers were involved in the biggest trade of the period last season when they traded Jalen Rose to the Bulls for Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer.  According to Dave Lewandowski of the Indianapolis Star the Pacers again are set to make the headlines this year, but will it only be hot air?

The Pacers are a wild card thanks to the impending free agent status of starters Reggie Miller, Brad Miller and Jermaine O'Neal.  Team President Donnie Walsh is committed to re-signing all three and all signs appear to point to these players liking Indiana, but with the team quickly looming on the luxury tax threshold it will be very hard to achieve without being penalized.

"I'm depending on Donnie to do his magic," co-owner Herb Simon said.

The Pacers could certainly do with cap space to make Walsh?s job a little easier, and according to Lewandowski deals talked about over the upcoming month will have everyone from Austin Croshere and the remainder of his four-year, $39 million contract to the injured Jonathan Bender going to a team for a player in the final year of his contract.  [RealGM Note: Bender signed an extension this summer and this season still remains on his rookie contract.  For this reason he qualifies for the Poison Pill Provision (PPP), a nasty type of Base Year status that makes him very difficult to deal.  Ron Artest of the Pacers also fits under this category.  For more information on PPP please visit Larry Coon?s CBA FAQ (link available on RealGM left menu)]

Gary Payton has already been one name mentioned as a  potential acquisition for the Pacers, a deal which the Pacers would be reluctant to do due to the cost involved.  Payton has thus far been unbothered by the trade talk.

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing," said Payton. "Trust me. That other stuff, that's not bothering me."

Other players likely to be involved in trade talk is Kelvin Cato of the Rockets, Kenny Anderson of the Supersonics, Brian Grant of the Heat, Marcus Camby of the Nuggets, Robert Horry of the Lakers, Jamal Crawford of the Bulls, and Jason Terry of the Hawks.

Of these players the most likely to be dealt would be Horry, who Lewandowski states has a cap-friendly contract, his on court performance during the Lakers struggles may just make him available.  The other player highly likely to be dealt would be Anderson, whose final year-$9 million contract makes him all that more attractive.  Washington and Minnesota, two teams desperate for point guard help, appear to be the obvious suitors.