The Final Buzzer
At the end of the day, the Lakers are certainly an older team, and could be looking to get younger.
However, I feel the tradeoff between a player five years younger with less size and skill wouldn’t necessarily be the best move for a deep playoff run.
At some point in time, the team is going to need a solid half-court go-to player to bail them out, and Gasol is that guy.
From my viewpoint, you simply don’t trade a player of Gasol’s caliber unless you absolutely have to. No other big man in the league possesses the kinds of skills Gasol does, which is a serious advantage for the Lakers.
Maybe he’s not going to be asked to utilize all of those skills on a regular basis, but I can guarantee you come April, May, and June, when the Lakers are in a bind and the run-and-gun style of offense isn’t working as well, Gasol’s number will definitely be called upon to produce in the half-court set.
*Statistics provided by basketball-reference.com
