Lakers Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Buzz on Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and More

Who wants to play with Kobe Bryant?

Perhaps that is the million(s) dollar question at the moment for the Los Angeles Lakers. In an era where seemingly every team clears enough cap space to pursue the big names, Mitch Kupchak's franchise needs more than dollars and name recognition to lure players his way.

There is a certain stigma around the Lakers at the moment that is hard to push aside. In a full-blown rebuild, the front office clearly wants to rebound in a big way through free agency, which might not work if players decide the new little brother in Los Angeles does not present a salvageable situation.

As has been the case each day for the past month, the rumblings around the franchise are fresh and pause-worthy. Here is the latest.

 

Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony May be a Packaged Deal



Believe it or not, it is Pau Gasol who might just singlehandedly hold the power in the large chunk of the league's future landscape.

Gasol has always seemed open to a re-up with the Lakers, the franchise he has called home since 2007. But his market is hot, since at going on 34 years of age he has yet to see a significant drop in production on the offensive side of the court:



There have been rumblings that Carmelo Anthony has been on the recruiting trail to bring Gasol to the New York Knicks to reunite with Phil Jackson, which makes a ton of sense. Well, except in the financial department, as Gasol—who raked in $19 million last year, per Spotrac—would have to take a significant pay cut to join the rebuild in the Big Apple.

But the other side to this coin is both predictable and intriguing. As ESPN's Ramona Shelburne notes, several contenders have made a play for Gasol, but word on the street is he'd be back in Los Angeles if Anthony accompanied him:

ESPN reported Wednesday night that the Oklahoma City Thunder duo of Kev...

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