NBA Trade Rumors: Phoenix Suns put Pau Gasol trade talks on hold over health concerns
By Josh Hill
The Phoenix Suns have been talking with the Los Angeles Lakers over the past few days about the possibility of trading Emeka Okafor and draft picks in exchange for Pau Gasol. While the talks have indeed taken place, there seem to be more and more hangups as the talks are further revealed.
On Monday it was reported that the Lakers want a high draft pick for Gasol and on Tuesday the Suns have noted that they want to hold on off on a Gasol trade at the moment to see how eel he bounces back from his recent groin injury.
Per Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPNLosAngeles.com:
"Sources told ESPN.com that, while there is substantive interest on both sides, it’s believed Suns officials want to see how Gasol recovers from a strained groin before deciding whether to take talks to the next level."
This doesn’t mean that a trade won’t happen, but it’s starting to look like one might not get executed until right before the February 20th deadline. Gasol is a great fit for the Suns but only if he’s healthy enough to make an impact, something the Suns are trying to be sure of before handing off high draft picks.