Pau Gasol Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Too Stubborn in Gasol for Rondo Talks

If the Los Angeles Lakers can get a player like Rajon Rondo, they need to jump at that chance.

This team needs a point guard, and Rondo is about as good as the NBA has to offer. So, the idea that they are unwilling to trade for him is confusing, to say the least. 

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the two teams have been in recent negotiations. The reasons those talks broke down was surprising to read:

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The teams talked last week about a trade for Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, though nothing was close to accomplished and discussions dried up.

The Lakers are unwilling to trade Pau Gasol for Rondo, making a deal with Boston unlikely before the trade deadline Thursday.

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What? The Celtics would be stupid to go forward with this trade. But words can't comprehend how bad it is for the other team to be unwilling to make that move. 

That is not a knock on Gasol in any way, but Rondo fits every possible need that the Lakers have.

If we're looking at this season with blinders, he's one of the best point guards in the league. All of a sudden a weakness of Los Angeles would become a strength that only a few teams in the NBA could answer. 

Rondo drives the ball well to the hole, distributes, and hits the shots when needed. With Rondo and Kobe Bryant, no team in the league would have that kind of backcourt.

What's even better is that the advantages don't stop there. 

The Lakers have an incredibly short window to win. Gasol will be 32 at the end of this season, while Bryant will turn 34 in August. That doesn't exactly give Andrew Bynum a lot to work with beyond the 2014 range. 

If you bring Rondo in, we're looking at a much different picture.

You still have Bryant, but also a 26-year-old Rondo and a 24-year-old Bynum to build around. That is a great point guard and center, which is a tremendous foundation.

So, the idea that the Lakers are the ones that refused this trade is baffling.

There aren't many people that the Lakers should think about unloading Gasol for, but Rondo easily qualifies. He is an All-Star now and plays a position that the Lakers need to improve. As a matter of fact, if they don't improve at the point, this team will do well to reach the second round of the playoffs.

With Rondo, a deep run would await.

More importantly, he sets the team up for the future, opening the championship window beyond the prime and career of Kobe Bryant.

I can understand the Celtics being unwilling to go forward with this move, but the Lakers should be jumping at it. 

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