Magic Johnson On Pau Gasol Leaving Lakers For Bulls
[new_royalslider id=”309″]

When former Laker big man Pau Gasol decided to leave his offer from the Lakers on the table and head to Chicago for the next chapter of his career, it was no surprise considering the trade rumors that circled Gasol for the past couple years.

At Byron Scott’s press conference yesterday, Magic Johnson said he spoke to Gasol before he made his decision to sign with the Chicago Bulls and the veteran forward understandably voiced frustration with how he was used in the offense last season.

— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Mamba Strikes Back” T-Shirts? —

According to LakersNation.com reporter Serena Winters, ultimately, Gasol expressed to Johnson that those emotions were too great for him to overcome:

Gasol was involved in several trade rumors towards the end of his career in Los Angeles. His discontent can be understood as his average minutes played per game had been drastically decreased since the 2010-2011 season.

D’Antoni stuck to playing small ball, which affected Gasol’s playing time. He went from 37.4 minutes during the 2011-12 season to 33.8 minutes the next season and finally 31.4 minutes last season, his final year as a Laker.

It’s likely the four-time All-Star felt under-valued and under-appreciated, after being a crucial player in the Lakers back-to-back championship run. Gasol is now in Chicago where he feels he has a better chance to win, alongside returning guard Derrick Rose in the upcoming season.

——————————————————————————————-
VIDEO: Magic Johnson On The Laker Way

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Frank Vogel Calls Suns’ Monty Williams ‘Coach Of The Year’

The Los Angeles Lakers survived a close Play-In Tournament game against the Golden State Warriors but now must prepare…

2011 NBA Draft- News and Rumors

First Round Draft Order 1. Cleveland Cavaliers (from L.A. Clippers) 2. Minnesota Timberwolves 3. Utah…

Kobe Bryant Wants Teammates to Avoid Jimmy Goldstein

Jimmy Goldstein, the so-called “NBA super-fan” has attended a myriad of games,…

Lakers News: Jeanie Buss Voices Support For LeBron James In Wake Of President Donald Trump’s Criticism

For all the good LeBron James did this week with the opening of the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, for at-risk students…