Like that bouncing bobblehead, you just never seem to know which way it's going to go.
Of all the possible options presented to the Lakers—and there are not many—Gasol is the logical asset that could simultaneously help lower their payroll and bring in young, athletic talent to pair with the emerging Andrew Bynum, veteran Kobe Bryant and whoever else happens to be wearing purple and gold come this fall.
The worst-kept secret in Lakers history is that management has unsuccessfully tried to ship Gasol out of Los Angeles for almost a year. While still considered by many to be the premier skilled power forward in the game, Gasol's value to the current Lakers roster appears to have eroded.
To date, Gasol has been headed out of town to Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Toronto, Memphis, Minneapolis and Sacramento, all in trades that haven't happened...yet. Perhaps the basketball Gods are trying to tell us something.
For all those fans who love Gasol and the enormous contributions he's made to help the team win back-to-back world championships in 2009 and 2010, they must also realize that, in order to get quality players in a trade, you have to be prepared to give up quality.
And so, if the Lakers are able to swing a deal with either Atlanta for Josh Smith or Minnesota for Derrick Williams or even Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins, they owe it to themselves and their fans to make the trade.
Both the Hawks and Timberwolves are said to covet Gasol, even though he comes with a gigantic $38 million, two-year contract which would require several players and a large calculator being added to the pot to figure out the financial component.
Reports out of Minneapolis Thursday suggest that the Timberwolves are in hot pursuit ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
