The Pau Gasol rumors have hit a boiling point over the past week or so with talk of the two-time NBA champion being dealt by the Los Angeles Lakers if he can’t adjust to the new system under Mike D’Antoni.
While the Lakers’ front office has made it clear that the team has no intention of trading Gasol until the impact of Steve Nash’s return to the team is felt in the coming weeks, news surfaced of Nash’s three-year deal with the Lakers being contingent on Gasol staying in Los Angeles.
Apparently, Nash was promised that he’d be able to play alongside Gasol once officially a Laker. Nash was told that Gasol will not be dealt by the team in order for the two veterans to play together.
At the time, Nash’s major concern may have been the team going all-out to bring in Dwight Howard via trade. With Gasol and Andrew Bynum being the team’s best trade assets, it was highly likely Gasol would be dealt in order to make the deal happen. Obviously, that never happened with GM Mitch Kupchak pulling off a bright trade that only sacrificed Bynum as the major piece leaving Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, things have changed in Los Angeles with Gasol struggling under D’Antoni and Nash injured. Once Nash returns, the team is hoping everything will turn around with the two-time NBA MVP being the missing piece to the championship puzzle, but if he isn’t and the team continues to struggle, Gasol will almost certainly be sent elsewhere in exchange for the right player that fits the mold of D’Antoni’s system.
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