The NBA trade rumor season is starting to get into full swing and as the calendar turns to 2014, more news is coming out about potential deals and one with Pau Gasol for Brook Lopez was proposed by the Los Angeles Lakers, but that was rejected by the Brooklyn Nets and now another deal could go down involving Luol Deng down the line closer to the deadline.
ESPN.com reported Marc Stein wrote about the proposed deal and it came before the Lakers pulled Gasol off the trading block and before Lopez broke his foot to end his season early. Gasol has been on the trading block for what feels like years and the Nets were smart to squash this deal, as Lopez is 25 compared to 33 for Gasol and he has the potential to be one of the best centers in the NBA and while both have injury issues, the fact that Lopez is younger is a huge factor when it comes to that.
The only reason the Nets may have made the deal was to get the $32.5 million off the books that Lopez is owed, as Gasol is on an expiring deal, but with all they are paying in luxury tax anyway, what's a little more cash? Stein writes about the context of the deal and that the Lakers were calling around to see what they could get for Gasol and this deal was part of them looking around to see what a deal could be with Lopez and while it came before the injury, the Nets really were not having it. There is a chance that the deal could come back up later when it gets closer to the deadline, but for now it looks like both teams are going to stay pat and while the Lakers would love to have Lopez, they also want to clear as much space as possible for the 2014 and 2015 summers.
The Lakers may still try going after LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony in free agency, but that is looking like a less and less likely option for the team and now both the Nets and the Lakers are trying to pull themselves up in the east and west as they try to make the playoffs. The Lakers are playing better than the Nets, who are just 10-20 and they face the San Antonio Spurs on the road next before another road matchup against the OKC Thunder and both those games could be tough for Brooklyn, especially without Lopez and they come in after another defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce look and have been playing old and now the Nets are still down in the Atlantic division and they have to start playing better for a chance at getting back to respectability. The Lakers are fourth in the Pacific division and they have hit on hard times lately after getting close to .500, as they are 13-18 on the season and are coming off of a loss against the Sixers and now they play the terrible Bucks and Jazz next and those are two games they need as they wait for the returns of Gasol and Kobe Bryant.