NBA rumors: Lakers open to trading Pau Gasol if play, attitude does not improve?
By Bryan Rose
It appears as if the marriage between the Los Angeles Lakers and Pau Gasol is turning nasty.
Just a day after Gasol ripped head coach Mike D’Antoni, it’s being reported by ESPN Los Angeles the Lakers may move the veteran power forward if his play and/or attitude don’t improve:
"The Los Angeles Lakers prefer to keep struggling center Pau Gasol and believe he eventually will have success in coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, but his recent comments and subpar play have caused them to begin weighing whether to make him available before the NBA’s annual trade deadline in February, according to sources with knowledge of the situation."
Gasol has dropped subtle hints over the past few months that he’s been irritated with his role in Los Angeles, likely stemming from the fact that the Lakers have yet to make any public commitments to Gasol going forward, as he is a free agent at season end.
The veteran forward also raised some eyebrows recently when he suggested he wouldn’t be opposed to returning to the Memphis Grizzlies, a franchise where Gasol spent the first six plus seasons of his career and a place where his younger brother Marc is the starting center.