Seemingly since the day Mike D'Antoni took over as L.A.'s head coach, Gasol has wanted out of Hollywood, and he's made it known.
To be fair, Gasol has not been used properly. He is being asked to do things that he's never done in his career, and at 32 years old, it is probably too late for him to change his game.
It makes sense that he is upset with his role as a bench player after being the star with the Memphis Grizzlies and a key contributor for the Lakers in his 11 years as a pro.
But guess what? No trade will be done this season.
Sure, Gasol has been connected with teams for the past few months, but no trade talks have gotten serious, and there just isn't a deal to be done.
Gasol is in the decline of his career. He is no longer a player who can put the team on his back, but rather a complementary star now.
That in and of itself could be worked out, but the fact that he is being paid like a superstar cannot. He is being paid at least $19 million per season in each of the next two seasons, at the end of which time he'll be 34 years old.
Very few teams other than the Lakers can afford to pay that much for a player who averages just 13.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, or would be truly willing to trade for him.
Even if a team did have interest in Gasol, it's unlikely they would have the talent at their disposal that the Lakers want.
The team that looks to be the most interested right now is the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, this is a completely unreal scenario.
Gasol has a connection with Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio, and Rubio has openly talked about this situation (via Los Angeles Times).
[Gasol] proved to the league he is one of the best. He can pass. He can shoot. He can rebound. He can do a lot of things. I...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
