Breaking Down Pau Gasol’s Market Value in NBA Trade Talks

Many are blaming Mike D'Antoni for submarining Pau Gasol's trade value. That's a far cry from before this season, when Lakers fans were excited about what Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol would mean as a tandem. Now, the focus is less on winning and more on getting something in return for Gasol and his onerous two-year, more than $38 million contract.

Pau Gasol has fallen far in the eyes of Lakers fans. It can seem almost as though he never helped them in the first place. Due to that sentiment, hoops impresario Nate Jones took to Twitter and reminded Lakers fans of the good old days. 



Many argue that Pau Gasol should have won the 2010 Finals MVP, and while I'm not sure if I agree with that assessment, the discussion speaks to his former impact and status. Gasol was at his best when Lamar Odom could be a bridge between Gasol and Andrew Bynum. After Odom left, Gasol's game slowly started to erode.

Last year, Gasol had his worst true shooting season since 2003-2004, back when the Detroit Pistons won a championship. That number will probably be undercut by this season, a year in which Pau Gasol has been miserable from the field.

Gasol is claiming a true shooting mark of under 50 percent. He can complain about being benched for Earl Clark, but his play isn't exactly providing a loud counterargument to Mike D'Antoni's decision. The consensus is that D'Antoni ruined Pau's trade value, but I doubt it'd be much higher before the benching. 

The Lakers can count on at least one NBA team being desperate, though. If the pervasive narrative is that D'Antoni has ruined Gasol, then perhaps a team might buy such logic. Also, you can bet on this narrative being pervasive, because it's getting espoused by America's most popular sportswriter:

I'm embarrassed I thought Mike D would be a good coach for LA. One of my worst predictions ever. He handled Pau like a JV high school coach.

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