The LA Lakers are in the middle of a very rough season and with the trade deadline coming up, names like Pau Gasol, Kendall Marshall, Nick Young and Jordan Hill could hit the trading block and deals for players like Gary Neal, Donatas Motiejunas or Ben Gordon could be options for the team as they head into the February deadline date.
The team got a nice win against the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in the week, but that just showed how rough the situation is in Los Angeles, as the team only dressed eight players for the game and lost Chris Kaman to injury and now they head into the deadline with numerous questions. ESPN.com reports that the Lakers could look into acquiring some lower named players, including options like Gary Neal, Ben Gordon or Donatas Motiejunas and Marc Stein writes that players like Hill and Marshall could be in the mix to get moved.
The Phoenix Suns and the Lakers appeared to be close on a deal with Pau Gasol, but after that got some heat the forward came down with an injury and that pulled the Suns back a bit. The report says that the two sides could pick things up on a deal as the Feb. 20 deadline gets closer, but the team wants to see how Gasol recovers from his injuries first. The Suns have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season and they feel that snagging a veteran player like Gasol could help the team make a playoff run.
The Suns came into the season expecting to be in rebuilding mode and while they are still doing that, they feel they can simultaneously make a nice run as one of the bottom playoff teams in the west while also building for the future. The team has multiple draft picks in the first round next season after making deals with the Wizards and the Clippers in the offseason and with their young roster, a player like Gasol could transform them into one of the most solid teams top to bottom in the west. Sure, the Suns aren't winning a championship, but for a team that has been terrible over the past few years, adding a vet to get some excitement going is a great idea and with the picks they have, they can afford to make a move.
The Suns have a massive trade chip in Emeka Okafor and the reason is due to his salary fitting with the Phoenix cap space and that it is getting picked up mostly by insurance. Making a move could save the Lakers up to $4.8 million and that could help get them to the luxury tax line and that is a goal for the team as they move to the future and next offseason.