The most recent reports out of Los Angeles are that the Lakers are "committed" to trading Pau Gasol, and that the big man could be headed back to Memphis, the team that sent him packing for the Hollywood Hills in 2008 for the draft rights to his younger brother, Marc, and a bag of chips (see: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittendon and Aaron Mckie):
According to a June 16 report from Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News:
The Lakers are committed to moving Pau Gasol — the fall guy for their second-round ouster against the Thunder and previous playoff failures — even if they have to take back less talent. As long as Heisley retains the Grizzlies, Memphis will always have interest. Heisley has always wanted to bring Gasol back, pairing him with his brother, Marc.
The big iffy here is who the Grizzlies owner will be when the Lakers are ready to make a trade. The Lakers have been shopping Pau for a while, so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise if and when he is traded. But one factor that could determine whether he ends up back in Memphis is whether Heisley is still the owner when the Lakers are ready to pull the trigger.
According to the report, Heisley has always wanted Pau back in Memphis, which makes sense. I mean, if you dump your high school girlfriend because she's not good enough for you only to later find out she's on the cover of Maxim, you'll probably find yourself making a few calls to see if she's on the market again.
This was the case with Heisley and Pau. Apparently Heisley didn't see in the Spainiard what the rest of the league did and subsequently asked the Lakers for virtually nothing in return. Maybe he didn't want to take on big contracts, opting instead to play it safe and clear cap space. Maybe Jerry West, then the general manager for the Grizzlies, did his old team a solid. But at the very least, Heisley could have—and should have—gotten comparable talent...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
