Lakers Trade Rumors: Change of Scenery Best Bet For Pau Gasol and Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Lakers need a scapegoat for their poor postseason performance and it looks like Pau Gasol will be the target.
Just minutes after the Lakers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night to officially get knocked out of the postseason, the term “#IdTradeGasolFor” was a trending topic on Twitter. While most of the answers were sarcastic, it was a telling sign that fans are ready for change.
HOOPSWORLD writer Eric Pincus reports that multiple teams towards the bottom of the NBA are going to be interested in a player like Gasol:
"I've spoken to multiple nba executives and scouts - teams looking for someone like Pau is a not-over-the-hump almost playoff teams. Just having someone like Gasol, I've been told, can put a team that just can't break through to the next level.
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The Houston Rockets have always been the team mentioned with Gasol, but what about squads simply trying to be relevant?
He’ll be 32 at the beginning of next season, and is coming off a year where he averaged 17.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in the regular season, but completely fell apart in the playoffs.
In 12 games the former No. 3 overall pick scored 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and seemed to mentally check out in the Thunder series. He is mentally exhausted with all of the attention that comes with playing for the NBA’s signature franchise, but can still be a prolific scorer in this league.
He needs to get out LA and head to a team that will provide him with more shots and more freedom to play his brand of basketball.
The Lakers don’t really need Gasol anymore. While playing him alongside Andrew Bynum is good in theory, the result is a team that gets clogged in the post offensively, and the pressure for Kobe Bryant to create is magnified ten-fold.
The Lakers need to land a strong shooting guard that can hit the corner jumper, and a point guard that won’t shrivel up in the playoffs the way Ramon Sessions jut did.
The problem with Gasol, a 4-time All-Star, is that he doesn’t have a very appealing contract. He’s scheduled to make $19 million next season and $19.2 million in the 2013-14 campaign. Is an early 30s Gasol worth that sort of dough for the next two years?
No, but if you are a franchise that is struggling to sell tickets, struggling to generate excitement about your team, and need a veteran presence with two championship rings, Gasol is a viable option.
How about a team like the Charlotte Bobcats, who could use a veteran to help teach their young and raw big men? Or what about the Brooklyn Nets, desperate to make a splash in their new arena?
The return is not going to be great, but if they can land a young guard and a draft pick in the first round or early second, they need to make the move. Getting his salary off the books is the main objective here to ensure they have the cash to spend on a guy like Steve Nash.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Gasol and the Lakers for the past five years, but it’s time for the ride to end. Gasol has worn his welcome out in Los Angeles and a trade this summer is best for all parties involved.
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