The NBA trade deadline continues to approach quickly since the beginning of February. One of the teams most likely to be active according to the media hype are the Los Angeles Lakers as of Feb. 3, 2013.
Since late December it has been believed that the Lakers could be willing to trade veteran front man Pau Gasol to add more pieces to the puzzle that has been created since the arrival of Dwight Howard.
However, according to ESPN analyst Marc Stein the player is not likely to be going anywhere due to the Lakers possible predicament with Howard in the summer:
As poorly as Pau fits with this current mix, I still say that the Lakers have to keep Gasol beyond Feb. 21 because they have no assurances that Dwight Howard is going to re-sign with them.
It's just too risky for them to trade Gasol now, just to replace him with a player or two who might ensure they don't miss out on their puncher's chance in the playoffs, when Howard could bolt in free agency and leave them center-less in July.
Reports continue to link Gasol with a move to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference. Despite the fact that the Raptors would be pushed into having to pay luxury taxes for their payroll, they seem intent on chasing the Lakers player until Feb. 21, 2013.
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