The Los Angeles Lakers have an again roster and with forward Pau Gasol once again being named in trade rumors, one team that has looked like a possible partner are the Atlanta Hawks, as they have the space and the picks to make a deal.
According to Fox Sports, the Hawks have two first round picks at number 17 and 18 and the team has been shopping around looking for a deal involving one of them. While many have speculated that the Hawks may use one pick or both to try and move up in the draft, another option could be to go hard at Dwight Howard in free agency and to use the picks to deal for other talent, including someone like Gasol. The Hawks are getting set to lose Josh Smith in free agency and while Kobe Bryant loves Gasol, he has always come up in trade rumors and this time it could turn out to be real.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, Gasol knows that his time in LA could be up and with general manager Mitch Kupchak looking for ways to get younger, a deal to the Hawks could be ideal. The Lakers don't have a selection in the draft until No. 48 and that is one reason why they would like to move up, as they need some young stars to build around as Bryant returns from an injury and gets up there in age. The Hawks are reportedly going after both Howard and Chris Paul in free agency and adding Gasol would bring another solid veteran and All-Star caliber player to the fold for the franchise.
Adding Gasol to a team that has the cap space for it while putting him with Al Horford could be a deadly combo and even though the team is losing Smith, they could remain one of the best in the east with the deal and snagging either Howard or Paul or both. The Hawks have been setting up for this summer for a while and they are ready to go hard after the players and another deal on the side could help set up that situation even better. The Rockets and Pacers are good fits for Gasol as well, but the best option for the Lakers is the Hawks, as they have the picks to move.
The Hawks have a ton of money coming off the books with seven players coming out as unrestricted free agents and that could set them up for a big summer. The Lakers are in as tough of a spot as the Hawks are in losing free agents and while they want to sign Howard to a max deal, he will listen to other teams in free agency. The Lakers are willing to trade Gasol to get younger, but if the deal isn't right they won't make the move. Now there are reports coming out that Paul and Howard have started to talk and want to be teammates with each other and ESPN says that while Howard may not want to go to Atlanta, he would to team up with Paul. The two players could end up forming their own Big Three somewhere else to challenge Miami for the East.