NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Would Be Wise to Ignore Any Rockets Offer

Chris Broussard of ESPN threw out one of his usual trade hypotheticals on Tuesday, and I couldn't disagree more. 

The ESPN hoops guru is famed for his postulating of trade rumors and was in fine form on Tuesday. I agreed with a lot of what Chris Broussard had to offer in his various trade proposals for certain teams. 

He starts off with a trade that would send Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson to the Clippers for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. I must say, despite a gut feeling to the counter, I would make that move in an instant. You always take a trade when you get a sure-fire Hall of Famer in his prime. 

He also has a solution for the Grizzlies and their OJ Mayo situation and a Piston flip of Tayshaun Prince. None of that piqued my interest as much as the Pau Gasol trade that could actually go down. 

Broussard thinks the Lakers should flirt with a trade that would send Gasol and Darius Morris to the Houston Rockets for Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry. Broussard breaks it down as such. 

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Houston is dying to add a star...and it will pay handsomely for one. In Houston, Gasol can return to the post...where he could give the Rockets a nice inside-outside punch with Kevin Martin... with Scola, the Lakers wouldn't lose one of their strengths -- their size. Bynum and Gasol are the best center-PF combo in the game, but Bynum and Scola wouldn't be much of a drop-off.

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I agree that Scola and Andrew Bynum is not much of a drop-off when you consider what Scola brings on the defensive end. 

The Rockets forward is one of the more underrated players in the NBA. The Lakers can't continue to sell off talent and take hits on their roster, no matter how small they might be. 

The Lakers have bought in with Mike Brown and his idea for the offense, and it's time to practice temperance and hope that time will breathe life back into the stagnant strategy. 

Gasol is playing away from the basket, something he is not used to and will need time to make adjustments. 

L.A. already lost a great deal of their advantage when they sent away Lamar Odom to Dallas. The argument is that Odom's production is down across the board, but a Los Angeles Odom would be far more content and prolific. 

Gasol is still the lanky star that can score 20 points a game if needed, and only needs to find his niche in the offense like the rest of the Lakers. 

Watching the Lakers this season, it's clear that the Rockets aren't the only team craving a star player. The Lakers are worse off after an offseason saw them get a year older and lose one sixth man of the year. 

You don't remedy that by trading an All-Star for a decent forward and a guard that may or may not fit well in the still-budding offense. 

The NBA is a star-driven sport, and Gasol still has bright days ahead of him. The only acceptable move, even with Gasol, is for the Lakers to move forward with an even bigger talent. Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, or any other bona fide star. 

You don't trade down. The Lakers already tried that and it has proved disastrous. 

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