NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Not Trading Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard

One guy who’s been in trade rumors basically the whole season is Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, but Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has gone on record as saying Gasol will not be traded before the deadline and the team is going to hang onto him and see what happens as the season continues.

Kupchak also said that the team has been taking calls about center Dwight Howard but a trade is not going to happen. It’s believed that the Nets and Hawks are two teams that have been in contact with the Lakers about Howard but Kupchak seems to be preparing himself to make a hard run at re-signing Howard at the end of the season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

While it’s not shocking, news that the Lakers will not be moving Gasol is more than noteworthy given the turmoil that has surrounded him in Los Angeles this season. But once Gasol suffered his foot injury his trade value virtually disappeared and anyone who was hoping to trade for him have moved on to other possible trades.

It’s not surprising that Gasol won’t be traded but the deadline is just another reminder of how anti-climactic Gasol saga in Los Angeles has been lately. Howard is always going to be in trade rumors, even when he’s been locked into a fat long term contract, but even if they’re struggling right now the Lakers are not going to cave to pressure and blow their team up.

We will see in the long run if the move ends up paying off or not.