With the February 20 trade deadline approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers will be active in hopes of securing another first round draft pick in this year’s highly anticipated 2014 NBA Draft or reducing their luxury tax bill.
While Pau Gasol will be out for another week with a groin injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns have expressed interest in the four-time All-Star and his expiring contract. Although the Cavaliers ultimately decided to trade Andrew Bynum to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng, Basketball Insiders’ Lang Greene believes that the Lakers could be a possible destination for Anderson Varejao:
“While the Lakers have been trying to avoiding adding long-term money, the team will potentially have a void to fill at center during the offseason and Varejao is a decent option provided he remains healthy.”
When both teams talked earlier in the year, the Lakers asked about Varejao’s availability and were denied. With Cleveland recently firing GM Chris Grant, the team is expected to make major moves as they have fallen short of being a playoff contender this season.
With the Cavaliers looking to keep Kyrie Irving happy in Cleveland, they could eventually reignite conversations with the Lakers and Pau Gasol will certainly be the center of talks. For the Lakers, Varejao could provide a solid defensive presence they have lacked in the post, but the Cavaliers would need to include some assets to make the salaries matchup.
Despite a slow start to the season, Gasol turned it on in January as he averaged 20.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
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