We’re just 2 days away from the NBA trade deadline, can everyone feel the tension building? There have been so many big names thrown out there, I’m going to be disappointed if we don’t see at least one major trade.
Pau Gasol is one of the bigger names out there attached to trade rumors, but the Los Angeles Lakers are in a very delicate situation. They want to clear some cap space but also want to keep a competitive team so they don’t send out the wrong message. If the Lakers appear to be throwing in the towel on this year and starting a rebuilding process, that’s not going to make Kobe Bryant happy.
“If they’re going to send a message to Kobe Bryant that they’re not about winning, they’re about money,” one league source said, “that’s going to set off a whole new deal.”
The Lakers were reportedly close to a deal with the Houston Rockets that would have sent Kyle Lowry to L.A. for Gasol but Lowry is out for a couple weeks with a bacterial infection.
The Lakers seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place, it’s going to be very tough for them to swing a deal that improves their financial situation and helps them compete in the West. I don’t pretend to be some sort of trade guru and I would make an awful GM but I can’t think of a trade that would satisfy both those criteria for the Lakers.
The Lakers have been shopping Pau all season. Ever since he almost got traded for Chris Paul, the team has wanted him out of L.A. At this point, it almost seems like a “since we almost traded you, you know we don’t really need you” situation and the Lakers are just trying to relieve some awkwardness. They’re actually not playing that bad right now, they’re the third seed in the West and they just beat the Miami Heat, but they still seem determined to get rid of Pau.
Well the window is closing and there are only 2 days left. If the Lakers are going to work out a deal, they’d better do it soon.
