Lakers Rumors: Sending Pau Gasol to Houston Would Make L.A. More Complete

It is time for the Lakers to make Pau Gasol a Rocket. They've been dangling the 7'0" Spaniard all season and it is time to finally send him packing. 

The Lakers have a realistic deal with the Rockets that would make them a better team. 

Sam Smith of Bulls.com talks about that deal. 

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He probably has the best chance of being traded among the current and former All-Star players. The Lakers are woefully short in the backcourt and with depth and athleticism. He was in that aborted preseason deal to the Rockets, and their interest is said to remain the most significant.

The deal that’s been most speculated is Gasol for Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry. The Rockets are said to be high on Goran Dragic and Jonny Flynn to replace Lowry, and the Lakers desperately need a point guard under Mike Brown’s system. This is a deal, denied for now, that benefits both teams and seems likely to be made.

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This would be a win for the Lakers.

Why This Move Helps the Lake Show

The Lakers have a crippling hole at point guard and Kyle Lowry is an excellent young ball handler. He is 25 years old and averaging 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He is also turning the ball over just 3.1 times per game. 

Lowry is also a gritty and competent defender, and the Lakers are currently receiving zero defense from the point guard position. 

The other nice fit here is that Lowry is a decent outside shooter. He is hitting on 37.5 percent of his three-point shots. The Lakers desperately need outside shooting. 

A straight Lowry for Gasol trade brings enough value to the Lakers to consider it. Throw in Scola and this is a huge win. 

The addition of Scola would allow the Lakers to continue to be a strong rebounding team. Scola is nowhere near the rebounder that Gasol is, but he is solid and will be even more effective with Andrew Bynum helping keep the opposition off the boards.

While he is not as efficient or potent as Gasol, he brings a similar skill set offensively.  

This would help the Lakers maintain a frontcourt advantage over most teams, and it would be a giant upgrade in the backcourt. 

This would take some of the ball handling pressure off of Bryant, add someone that can make things happen by getting into the lane, and it would allow them to put a point guard on the floor that is capable of stopping someone.