Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers has been besieged by trade rumors this year. The Lakers are trying to retool their team to make them a title contender and place the right talent around Kobe Bryant, but it could mean losing one of their big stars like Andrew Bynum or Gasol. With Gasol being older and a surer player, the Lakers seem to be willing to part with their power forward rather than their center.
Gasol has been unsettled by the rumors, but it seems the Lakers are trying to make a proactive effort to placate the Lakers star. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles filed this report.
"I have an understanding of where things are," Gasol said after the Lakers' shootaround in Detroit on Tuesday, "where they stand and where he stands and where I stand. He [Kupchak] told me to just keep doing what you do, keep playing hard and playing on and from that point on, we'll see."
Gasol is too good to be let go for anything, so you have to feel if he's more relieved now, the Lakers don't have any real good trade deals in place right now. Perhaps Gasol will still be moved, but at the moment the Lakers have to do a lot more searching to find a deal that satisfies them.
To discuss the possibility of the Lakers trading Gasol, head on over to Silver Screen and Roll.