The Phoenix Suns have emerged as a possible trading partner with the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau Gasol and it comes after numerous rumors have been reported on about the LA star and now the Suns could move Emeka Okafor or Goran Dragic in a deal before the trading deadline.
According to ESPN.com, the Lakers and Suns are exploring a deal with Gasol that likely would involve Okafor, as the contracts for the two match up close enough to fit the cap space and it would benefit the Lakers since part of Okafor's contract is covered by insurance. ESPN.com reports that the Suns have nearly $6 million in cap space and while Okafor's $14.5 million and Gasol's $19.3 million don't match up perfectly, the deal could still go down due to the cap space and the fact that the money on the contract is covered, with 80 percent coming under an insurance policy since Okafor hasn't played this season.
The Suns have been playing very well this season and it's unlikely that they would trade Dragic at this point with Eric Bledsoe out for the last 17 games, but Okafor could get dealt and that would be beneficial for both sides. Phoenix has been the most surprising team in the west and they feel they can make a playoff run by adding a veteran and this situation would be better for Gasol than the Cavaliers, which is where he was almost traded earlier in the season for Andrew Bynum. The Bulls instead did that deal and while the Lakers would have saved more money there, sending Gasol to a better team would be a more respectful move for the veteran and plays into the plays of the Suns and the Lakers.
The Suns want a veteran player while they continue to rebuild and since they have extra draft picks from deals for Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat, they can afford to make a deal. The Lakers have Gasol's expiring contract and are looking for more space to help clear out for stars like Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony and this would play into that as well. The Lakers do not have a first round pick and the Suns have four and that could come into play and the Gasol deal could be good for the Suns. The team would get one of the best veteran forwards and they could decide if they want to try and keep him or not after making the deal. The Lakers are getting very close to being sellers with their record and the way they are playing and this could be the first move.
