It’s been a rough season for the Lakers. Sitting at 17-24 and losers of seven straight games on the road, Los Angeles can’t seem to get anything going that resembles consistency. It’s been especially difficult for Pau Gasol, who has dealt with just about everything imaginable over the last two months. After suffering a concussion against the Denver Nuggets, Gasol was sent to the bench against his will and was asked to play as a reserve.
Now, in an article from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, it’s being rumored that Gasol has told those close to him that he expects to be moved before next month’s trade deadline.
Nevertheless, D’Antoni has marginalized Gasol, leaving him livid and privately expecting to be traded before the February deadline for an athletic forward who fits his coaching designs.
You may recall Gasol actually being traded back in December of 2011, only to have the trade vetoed and disallowed by the league office. Since then Gasol has been at the center of trade rumors for 13 months, yet remains on the team’s roster. At least for the time being.
It would make sense for Gasol to have these expectations, especially with the team struggling. It’s not exactly a secret that Mike D’Antoni hasn’t made an assertive effort to find a place for Gasol in his offense, and if the team chooses to stay with D’Antoni, Gasol will likely be the odd man out.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 21st.
