The NBA season is off to an exciting start and as the schedule pushes into the winter months and deeper into November and December, teams and divisions will start taking shape and that means trade rumors naturally will start as well and some of the top players that could be on the move this offseason includes names like Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Omer Asik as well as Kenneth Faried and Goran Dragic among many others.
The Lakers are always mentioned in potential trade rumors because they have been willing to deal in the past and Pau Gasol is someone that has come up numerous times over the past two seasons. Gasol was nearly dealt back when the Chris Paul trade was supposed to go down to the Lakers, but after that he clearly has remained with the franchise and now they could go through similar reports again, especially if the team struggles this season while Kobe Bryant is working on returning.
Bryant gave some updates about his progress and while he is getting closer to returning, there is still no set date and that could be an issue for the Lakers the rest of this season. The Lakers had a tough season in 2012-13 while dealing with Dwight Howard and that is one reason why Gasol put up numbers that were not so great and while Bryant loves his toughness and athletic ability, his contract and his age could be factors as the team moves on in the season and that means he possibly could be dealt to a number of contenders. Whether or not Gasol will be officially on the trading block likely rests with whether the Lakers will make the playoffs or not and if they have a bad start to the year come December or January, that talk will only start to heat up.
Gasol is 33-years-old and while he still can be a productive player and a championship piece, his best years are likely behind him and that could mean a deal for the Lakers. Omer Asik is someone that any team that needs a center should target, as he could be one of the top players moved eventually after the Rockets signed Dwight Howard.
Asik had a great season while starting 82 games last year and he averaged a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and if Dwight Howard and Asik can't play together well, Kevin McHale and Daryl Morey could change their minds about trading him. Asik reportedly asked for a deal after Howard was acquired and while the coach and GM said that Asik would not be moved, that easily could change down the line, especially when teams get more motivated near the trade deadline.
Another player that is likely to get dealt is Rudy Gay, as he has a high salary and was acquired last season by the Raptors from the Grizzlies. The Raptors made the move to take advantage of a situation that the Grizzlies were in and now they could turn that trade into a potential building block for their franchise, as Masai Ujiri has been looking to rebuild from the ground up since taking over in the offseason and that could mean a deal for Gay. This season he will make over $17 million and that might be too much for the Raptors to deal with and while the team has some solid young talent, knowing that rebuilding could take years, Gay could get dealt for picks or younger players.
