After acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard over the summer, Gasol was thought to have dodged the bullet yet again with the Lakers able to pull off both moves without sending the Spaniard elsewhere. Although the Lakers roster has added two superstars without giving up Gasol in return, Los Angeles might still be considering moving the two-time NBA champion with talk of Gasol not exactly fitting the mold of Mike D’Antoni’s offense.
The most recent trade rumor involving a big-name in return for Gasol was a potential deal with the New York Knicks in exchange for Amar’e Stoudemire.
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D’Antoni’s former team has been on a roll this season and appears to have finally turned the corner in the Carmelo Anthony era. Unfortunately for Stoudemire, Nash’s former teammate no longer seems to fit in New York and might be forced to come off the bench as a result.
Stoudemire is apparently content with coming off the bench once able to get back on the floor for the Knicks, but trade rumors continue to swirl with the Lakers supposedly targeting the veteran forward.
Reportedly, the rumors about a possible Gasol for Stoudemire swap have no merit according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:
There’s been speculation there were talks between the Lakers and Knicks about a Stoudemire-Pau Gasol trade but a source claims nothing took place.
This trade scenario doesn’t make much sense for either team for a few different reasons.
First of all, the Lakers’ front office doesn’t want to take on any more salary and they’d do exactly that with an injury prone Stoudemire. Gasol’s $19.2 million for next season would be off the books, but the Lakers would be taking on Stoudemire’s $21.6 million for next season and $23.4 million for the season after that.
Along with the Lakers taking on Stoudemire’s huge contract, the Knicks really don’t need Gasol with Anthony thriving at the power forward position. Gasol, like Stoudemire, would be one of the highest paid players off the bench.
Although some believe Stoudemire might get back to form rejoining Nash and D’Antoni in Los Angeles, the move simply doesn’t make sense for both teams and it’s doubtful anything comes to fruition moving forward.