Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Why Pau Gasol Is Reportedly on the Trade Block

According to a tweet by Yahoo!'s Marc J. Spears, the Los Angeles Lakers are "very open" to trading forward Pau Gasol a little over four years after acquiring him in one of the great trade heists in NBA history. 

Though Spears says nothing is imminent on the Gasol trade front, Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico floated the idea of the Lakers shipping Gasol to the Wizards for the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft:

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Back to the Lakers. If the Cavs are able to move up and nab Beal at No. 2, there’s talk the Lakers would be willing to make life easy for the Wizards and help them move out of the third spot. It would likely take power forward Pau Gasol. Far-fetched for now, but don’t be surprised if it’s something that’s explored in the right situation.

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After a bit of rudimentary math using an Etch-A-Sketch, crayons and construction paper, I concluded that unless the Lakers take back one or more of the horrible contracts the Wizards acquired over the past few months (I'm looking at you, Nene and Emeka Okafor), Gasol-to-Washington is a fiscal impossibility.  

It makes next to no sense for either side. Why would the Wizards take on a 32-year-old forward making $38 million over the next two seasons and give up the No. 3 pick in a deep draft? And why would the Lakers take back one or more bad contracts if they're desperately trying to fix their cap situation?

What does make sense is the Lakers trying to move Gasol. This marriage has seemed destined for divorce for months, and here's a few reasons why:

1.  Gasol is unhappy in Los Angeles.

After being traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the David Stern-vetoed Chris Paul/Lakers trade, Gasol had to face the indignity of coming back an unwanted man in a new offense.  

And according to a quote Gasol gave to ESPN's J.A. Adande on Jan. 23, the Spaniard wasn't too enthusiastic about his role under Lakers coach Mike Brown:

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"I would like to get a little more inside, myself," Gasol said. "I always like to have different looks and be able to attack from different angles. The second half I didn't have one chance to attack from the post, so I was more of a facilitator. I got two jumpers, open, that I missed, and that was all the opportunities that I had."

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Andrew Bynum's emergence had a great deal to do with the Lakers using Gasol more on the exterior, but good luck explaining that to one of the three most skilled big men in the league.  

2.  Gasol's consecutive playoff disappearances.

Here are splits comparing Pau's regular season numbers to his postseason stats over the past two years.

2011 Regular Season:  18.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 52.9 FG%

2011 Postseason:  13.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 42 FG%

2012 Regular Season:  17.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 50.1 FG%

2012 Postseason:  12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 43.4 FG%

If you want to attempt to explain this trend as a two-year aberration from off-court distractions and a lack of offensive comfort each of the past two seasons, so be it.  

But with Kobe Bryant desperately hanging onto his prime by a thread, the Lakers cannot afford to rely on such an enigmatic postseason performer. 

3.  Pau isn't exactly coming cheap—he's not getting any younger.  

When I say the Lakers cannot afford to rely on Gasol in the playoffs, it's also because they literally can no longer afford to have Bryant, Gasol and Bynum on the roster and still contend.

Gasol stands to make a little over $38 million over the final two years of his contract. With Bryant on the books for $58 million through 2013-14 and Bynum due a maximum extension, the Lakers are already over the cap before accounting for the nine other roster spots.  

With Gasol turning 32-years-old on July 6 and his trade value dwindling with every playoff shortcoming, the team needs to take advantage of what's left of the Spaniard's value.  

An ideal scenario for the Lakers would have the team flipping Gasol for a more reliable superstar who can help extend the Bryant era a couple years.

But an even more interesting possibility is trading Pau to a team desperate to contend and acquiring multiple young pieces to help usher in the Bynum era in Los Angeles.  

Either way, barring another Stern veto, it's safe to say we've seen the last of Gasol in a Lakers uniform.