No player has increased their trade stock this season as much as Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson.

With superstar Kevin Durant out with a fractured foot and Russell Westbrook battling a hand injury, Jackson has been playing fantastic this year. The 24-year-old point guard is averaging 7.3 assists per game and 19.3 points per game thus far. Of course, he's not the same dynamic player that Westbrook is, but Jackson's passing skills are definitely on par with Westbrook.

The Thunder are just 5-13 through their first 18 games of play. With Durant and Westbrook back in the lineup, the Thunder should consider trading Jackson this season.

The NBA Trade deadline is scheduled for Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. EST.

A trade from the Thunder would benefit everyone and all involved. The Thunder and head coach Scott Brooks know Westbrook is their starting point guard, and he won't even think about playing fewer minutes. Westbrook is currently signed with the Thunder on an $80 million contract until 2017.

As for Jackson, his contract expires at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Jackson is only scheduled to make a combined $5.5 million over the next two seasons. Trading away Jackson wouldn't be halted by contract negotiations or salary cap issues because Jackson isn't making elite money.

Again, Jackson is still just 24 years old, and he has remained relatively healthy in his young career. Jackson played 80 games last season and 70 games the previous year. Trading for Jackson would be a wise move by the Thunder because eventually his contract will expire, and there's a very high chance he will walk away as a free agent in the near future. It's best for Thunder to get value now while they still can.

Plenty of teams could use a young point guard like Jackson. The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls are two teams who many believe could use the skilled player.

The Los Angeles Lakers rank 21st in team assists, and Jeremy Lin is set to become a free agent after this season. Kobe Bryant is nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career, and the Lakers are set to have a lot of salary cap space open in the near future. With Lin most likely leaving and Bryant's career coming to an end, signing Jackson to a long-term contract may be the best decision for the Lakers franchise.

Another team that may want to show interest is the Chicago Bulls. Of course the Bulls have a great point guard in Derrick Rose, but his health is becoming more and more of a concern. Rose missed all of 2012, played just 10 games last year and has missed half the Bulls games this season.

The Bulls are paying Rose $18.8 million this season, and his contract doesn't expire until the 2016-17 season. Trading for Jackson would provide a lot of relief for a team whose leading passer is power forward Joakim Noah with 74 assists. Head coach Tom Thibodeau can only do so much with Rose sitting on the bench more than half the season.

Jackson has been playing great basketball this season, and he is one of the up and coming talented point guards in this league. The Thunder should explore all options going forward, including trading and getting value for Jackson before the deadline.

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