NBA Trade Rumors and Speculation: Tony Parker and Others L.A. Lakers Must Avoid

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers disappointing display against the Mavericks in the playoffs this past May is still haunting the organization and its fans, and prompting many to declare it is time for a drastic change.

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, among others have been mentioned as potential targets for Los Angeles.

However, the Lakers must be cautious in their trading endeavors. A lapse in judgement could prove very costly and ruin any plans the Lakers may have for the team’s future.

The call for reform in Los Angeles has put an almost unnecessary pressure on the organization to make a move, and make it quick, provided the lockout ends of course.

The danger in this is that the Lakers may wind up name-hunting rather than truly searching for a player that best suits the needs of the team.

Howard or Paul would be great additions for Los Angeles, but all indications are those situations are going to be long and drawn out, and the Lakers may not be willing to wait, instead opting to move on to the next big name on the list.

And if that becomes the case, here are three players whose names may appear enticing, but are not a fit for Los Angeles, and thus the Lakers should avoid targeting.

Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia 76ers

According to Sam Amick of SI.com, the Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers have discussed a trade that would send Andre Iguodala to Los Angeles in a deal involving Lamar Odom.

While Iguodala would add some much needed defense to the Lakers, this deal is one that the Lakers should avoid.

Iguodala, 27, averaged 14.1 points, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season, and has three years and $44 million left on his contract. Although his numbers were solid this past season, they were a slight drop off from his career averages.

Obtaining the guard-forward, as Amick notes, would cost the Lakers at least Odom, who while approaching 32, had similar or better numbers than Iguodala, averaging 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He also won the NBA’s sixth man of the year award.

Iguodala would add versatility to Los Angeles’ rotation, but acquiring him would also cost them versatility in Odom. Furthermore, it can be argued that Odom, who can play the one through four positions if needed, is even more versatile than Iguodala.

Such a trade would most likely be age and defensive motivated, but Iguodala game some appearances this past season of having seen the best of his days already, and is not worth the risk of losing guaranteed production in Odom.

Additionally, Iguodala hurts the Lakers chances at obtaining Dwight Howard, Chris Paul or Deron Williams. His contract will be hard to dump to give them any chance of signing one of the aforementioned three, and his trade value is not so high that any trade would save them Andrew Bynum.

Unless the Lakers are using Iguodala as a rental because they gauged Orlando’s, New Orleans’ or New Jersey’s interest him and it exceeded that of Odom, which is highly unlikely, this trade cannot just not be justified and is too risky.

Kobe Bryant’s days of dominance are numbered, and they would be better spent playing along side Odom than Iguodala.

Kevin Love of Minnesota Timberwolves

Back before the NBA draft, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN.com wrote that he believed a Pau Gasol for Kevin Love trade was a "sure-to-remain-hypothetical" one and is never "going to happen". 

However, Kamenetzky did acknowledge that talks, at this time before the draft, involving the Lakers sending Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum to Minnesota in exchange for the number two overall pick did take place.

And that is how all the Kevin Love speculation started. Obviously the draft came and went without any such deal happening, but as Kamenetzky noted, the speculation existed. And it continues to exist. 

It must be stated that though acquiring Love would be a bad experimental move on Los Angeles' part.

Regardless of whether the speculation will remain hypothetical, such a move is not beneficial to the Lakers.

Obtaining Love would almost certainly cost the Lakers Gasol, whom the Timberwolves openly covet, and possibly even Odom as well.

Combined, Gasol and Odom averaged 33.2 points and 18.8 rebounds per game. Love averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, which would result in a drop off in Los Angeles' production.

Even a straight up Gasol for Love trade, with a few add ins of course to make salaries match, would not be worth it for the Lakers.

Gasol only averaged 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds to Love's 20.2 and 15.2, and Love is 22, nine years younger than Gasol, so why is this a bad move?

Love's numbers were no doubt bolstered by the fact that he played for a terrible team. Not to mention some of his best rebounding and scoring performances, like his 31 and 31 outing in November, came against weaker defensive teams such as the Knicks.

Gasol is a proven player and has showed he fits the bill for what the Lakers need, while Love has no postseason experience.

Additionally, Love has shown no indication that he can single-handedly lead a team to the postseason like Kobe has, and if Los Angeles is to trade away Gasol, it should be for a player they believe can keep the Lakers relevant long after Kobe retires.

And Love does not fit this bill,thus meaning he is a potential trade target that the Lakers and Kobe should pass on.

Tony Parker of San Antonio Spurs

After Tony Parker told French Journalists that he no longer believe the Spurs could contend for a title, the rumor mill involving him has began to run wild.

Parker has since backed off from his comments and the Spurs have denied shopping him around the NBA, yet it seems the relationship between the two sides will never be the same.

Additionally, even if we accept Parker retracting his statements at face value, is it really possible to get past the fact that numerous media outlets reported that the Spurs were actively shopping 29 year old point guard?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported, prior to the NBA draft, that the Spurs were shopping Parker to teams like the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, hoping to get a high-lottery draft pick in return.

The draft came and went without the Spurs moving Parker, and speculation regarding his future with San Antonio has subsided, due largely in part to the current lockout.

However, should the lockout come to a close, the rumor mill surrounding Parker is likely to explode once again,

And if that happens, as Bleacher Report's Joshua Sexton notes, he could become a realistic target of the Lakers.

This being considered though, is Parker the right player for the Lakers to target?

No.

Parker averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 assists last season, and he could arguably run the Lakers offense quite well. His court vision is adequate, he knows what it takes to win a championship and has a reputation that Kobe Bryant can respect.

However, a deal for Parker could cost Los Angeles Andrew Bynum, whom San Antonio may covet to help give themselves a life in the post after Tim Duncan retires, and perhaps to form a David Robinson/Duncan like combo they once had.

Sure, with Odom and Pau Gasol the Lakers have the makings of solid low post players, but Bynum, despite his disappointing progress, is still a force in the paint because of his sheer size. Relinquishing him puts the Lakers low post system in too much jeopardy.

Additionally, Parker signed a four year, $50 million dollar extension last fall, making it almost impossible for the Lakers to dump enough salary to have a shot at signing Dwight Howard next summer.

At this point, many will argue that Los Angeles' best option was to acquire Howard via trade, and that is true. However, the centerpiece of any package the Lakers put together for Howard would be Bynum.

Los Angeles could try to trade Gasol for Parker, but it may be difficult to add players into the mix that make the salaries match, and the Spurs may not be interested in yet another aging big man.

Parker is a great player, but he comes at too high of a price. And he is almost thirty, suggesting he may be entering the downside of his career.

If it is a dominant point guard the Lakers crave, they would better off remaining patient and pursuing a deal that could land them Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Or if they are looking for a quick fix, Steve Nash comes with less of a risk because of his expiring contract.

But Parker is not the answer.