Pau Gasol is expected to be shopped by the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the 2014 NBA trade deadline, but the struggling team could find it hard to move their All-Star center.
Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders pointed out that the Lakers are asking too much for Gasol, considering the fact the Lakers or the team that would take the veteran could lose him for nothing in the offseason.
According to previous reports, the Lakers are asking for draft picks or young prospects in any deal involving Gasol, who is playing in the final year of his contract that pays him $19 million this year.
Aside from their desire to acquire future assets, the Lakers are also unwilling to take players with long-term deals.
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The Lakers had a chance to trade Gasol to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum earlier this month. They could have saved more than $20 million in salary and taxes this season, while maintaining their flexibility moving forward.
"There are no more Bynum-like deals to be had before the February trade deadline, so at best, Kupchak is looking at accomplishing the second goal but not the first. That may not be enough to get him to pull the trigger on a deal. I think it's now fairly likely that Gasol remains a Laker for the remainder of the season," Coon noted.
Coon also added that the Lakers are still hoping to trade for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love before the deadline or in the offseason.
However, a trade for Love is highly unlikely since the Lakers have no attractive assets to strike a deal with the Timberwolves.
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Trading Gasol to pair him with compatriot Ricky Rubio looks attractive, but the Wolves will definitely ask for more in exchange for their All-Star power forward. The Timberwolves are not high on the expiring contract of Gasol as well as the first-round pick of the Lakers in the 2014 NBA Draft - unless it lands within the top five.
"If they were to acquire Kevin Love via trade, the obvious question is for whom? I really don't see a potential deal that entices the T-Wolves, and especially not in comparison to what they could get from other teams," Coon insisted.
The Lakers are expected to push hard for Love though in the summer of 2015 when he hits free agency along with other notable players like Rajon Rondo, Kyrie Irving, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
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