While it's easy to blame everybody on the court and talk about how the Lakers should trade everyone, it simply isn't that easy or even ideal to do something that drastic.
This isn't the NBA Live 2002 video game. You can't just trade players for whoever you want.
While every Laker fans wishes that they can trade Kobe Bryant for LeBron James, Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard and Kevin Love, and Pau Gasol for Derrick Rose, it's just not happening.
Salaries have to match in trades.
Right now, Pau Gasol is making close to $19 million per year. This means if the Lakers do trade Gasol, they'll be getting 2-3 average players in return. Josh Smith from Atlanta or Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry in Houston come to mind.
While it's possible to trade Gasol for these guys, how much better are the Lakers really getting in those trades?
People tend to forget that Gasol had 43 double-doubles this year. He had another consistent season scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
You absolutely know what you're getting with Gasol.
Sure at times he's not going to be putting in 100 percent and he gets lazy, but have Scola or Josh Smith shown throughout their careers that they can play in the playoffs in the pressures that come with playing in Los Angeles? Have they put up consistent numbers throughout their careers?
No.
Pau is still a solid option at power forward and probably the best No. 3 in the league.
The next guy the Lakers might want to trade is Andrew Bynum. While it's easy to point out his immaturity and his injury history as reasons to trade him, it's not going to be that simple to ship him away.
These are valid reasons to trade Bynum.
He played...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
