The Los Angeles Lakers made one move before the NBA trade deadline and no, it was not sending away Pau Gasol. The Lakers are busy setting themselves up for the future and shedding contracts is the top priority. While they are still in negotiations to trade away Jordan Hill, Steve Blake was the first to be sent packing.
The Lakers have officially announced that Blake was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. The move was salary cap focused. Los Angeles saves $4 million in salary and luxury tax implications as the Golden State Warriors will absorb it using their trade exception that was earned after Brandon Rush was sent to the Utah Jazz.
Blake was not expecting the deal to be made. His name had been tossed around in several rumors prior to the deadline, but nothing seemed formal until Los Angeles made the move late on Wednesday. Blake will now be used as a backup to Stephen Curry for the remainder of the year. Golden State had been looking into acquiring a backup point guard in the trading period and after attempting to get players like Andre Miller and Beno Udrih, Blake was the best option.
So what does the moving of Blake and potential moving of Hill mean for Los Angeles' future? According to Marc Stein of ESPN, it could mean that Pau Gasol remains with the team for longer than this season. The forward was expected to be traded by the deadline, but the Blake move and other potential trades mean that no longer is a priority for Los Angeles. In fact, it actually helps the team re-sign Gasol for the future.
Stein believes the Lakers are clearing as much cap space as they can now in order to re-sign Gasol when he becomes a free agent this summer. These moves help the team get under the luxury tax threshold enough to give the forward a favorable deal in the future.
Remaining with the Lakers is what Gasol wants, but he has also stated his reluctance towards accepting a pay cut. Los Angeles signed Kobe Bryant for two more seasons at a very high price, putting Gasol's status in jeopardy. The forward noted that he was prepared to move on at the end of the season even though he would love to remain with the team.
The Lakers are setting themselves up to retain Gasol if that is what they want. He is putting up excellent numbers this season in the wake of Bryant's absence. If Los Angeles can move Hill and players like Chris Kaman before the deadline, Gasol's future with the Lakers is bright.
