Pau Gasol trade rumors persist, despite the LA Lakers power forward not requesting a trade from the team. While things could change in the next few weeks, according to a report from CBS Sports on Monday (Jan. 28), Gasol is not ready to ask for a trade from the franchise. Yet.
Gasol has been relegated to the bench by coach Mike D'Antoni, which is a new role for the former All-Star. It also isn't what Gasol expected when he came back missing time. His numbers are going to take a hit for this, but maybe it can help to get the Lakers back on track. He did prove very valuable against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday (Jan. 27), scoring 16 points and grabbing 4 rebounds off the bench.
Currently, Gasol is the ninth highest paid player in basketball, earning $19 million for this season. He is also under contract with the Lakers for about $19.3 million next season. This could make him hard to trade even if it did come to that for the franchise. There isn't a lack of teams that would be willing to take an All-Star like him, but the Lakers might not be willing to take back the right contracts.
As the Feb. 21 NBA trade deadline approaches, there are bound to be even more Pau Gasol trade rumors than there are now. If the LA Lakers improve upon their 19-25 record by quite a bit, they may amount to nothing, but the franchise may eventually meet that drastic moment where they have to trade him for one last run. It's realistic to imagine that Gasol might get frustrated with coming off the bench by that point anyways.
Comments