Pau Gasol's realistic trade value

[Chris]

Pau Gasol is a top 15 player in this league. Generally considered a top 5 big man. Is only 30 years old and could easily have 4-5 more years at an All-NBA level.

He is a hugely valuable asset to any team that wants to win in the immediate + short term future.

 I was a big Gasol fan.

 There is no way this year he is a top fifteen player.

 Can't remember the last time I've seen a player fall that fast in one year.

 He lost all the drive he had, after last year winning his 2nd title.

You mean the playoffs right?  Because for most of the regular season he was VERY good, and the numbers are nearly identical to last year.

BTW, I didn't watch the series closely, but was Chandler covering Gasol much?

[Moranis]

I don't think Bynum has damaged his trade value at all.

He did something stupid, everyone agrees on this, that is all and that is where it ends.

I do. Personally i dont think his trade value is very high to begin with. He has had one season where he has played 82 games... that was five years ago... his games played totals are; 46, 82, 35, 50, 65, and 54. Thats 331 games out of a possible 492 games, and thats just the regular season. He can't stay healthy. Yeah he is still crazy young and has tons of potential, but what if he keeps being injury plauged. After all the injuries and surgeries he has faced so far his knees are only going to get worse not better. He averaged 11 and 9 with 2 blocks this year as a starter... Pretty average.

This post season, when his team needed someone to step up and take charge in a leadership role; Bynum called out teammates for having trust issues and then pulls this stunt on Barea. He should get a 10 game suspension to start next season. I don't really see people calling the Lakers dying the have Bynum, they are just going to sit back and see what the Lakers will take in return to get rid of him.

That's my take.  He called out his teammates to the media, but did it in such a round about weird way it caused a lot more friction then was necessary.  Then had the stupid stupid play after his team was eliminated, then takes his jersey off, and then doesn't handle it well at all post game.  Bynum shouldn't be acting like an 18 year old rookie anymore, he isn't.  He is just immature and is always hurt.  I think people would overlook some of the injury issues, but now with all of the attitude problems, it is tough pill to swallow. 

[StartOrien]

and Williams doesn't do much for me. 

I'm not a big Williams guy, but I think he'd fit well in the triangle as a 4th or 5th scoring option.

[Moranis]

Rumors swirling are that Gasol has to go due to locker room problems with Kobe(thing about Kobe's wife breaking up Gasol and his girlfriend). If there are rumors in the media already and people look at the lack of passing and communication between Gasol and Kobe on the court, it won't be long before every GM in the league KNOWS LA HAS to move Gasol and will only be offering the Lakers 30 cents on the dollar for Gasol.

It just might take a Bynum and Gasol package to land Howard and that's with filler going back LA's way and picks going back Orlando's way. And, I still don't see it happening.

Yeah, but, a lot of teams are going to get in on the action, which means the price will go up.  Sure LA isn't going to get 100 cents on the dollar, but if four teams are bidding for his services it very easily could get 85 or 90 cents on the dollar.

[wiley]

I highly doubt Dwight Howard will be a Laker.  What do the Magic get from this deal?  Bynum?  Well, his stock ain't that great right about now and he is owed a bunch of money, $15.2 a year until 2014.  Salary cap relief?  Lakers have $84 million locked up through 2013, so that isn't gonna happen either.

Insurance that they don't lose their star center for nothing.

Rudy Gay would be a good fit for the Lakers, but the Grizzlies amazingly don't really have a fit for any of the Laker bigs.

Unless Pau agrees to backup his brother at center and Zach at PF.  After a bunch of long pushes through the playoffs there might be some appeal going back to his old team and joining his brother.  If people think Gay's not enough it could be Gay and Arthur for Pau and a draft pick......

That certainly deepens the Lakers and makes them much more athletic.....Memphis would have an incredible bigs situation for years to come.....at least next 4 to 5 years....

[the_Bird]

Couple thoughts I've had.

From what it sounds, the Kobe/Pau pairing has run its course.  I don't doubt Pau still has a lot of value around the league, it's been a crappy playoffs for him but he's still viewed as a premier player.  He's also seven feet tall and in his prime.  LA will have no shortage of teams calling on him.

The other thing, with Phil Jackson heading to Montana, you've got to figure that LA's going to be moving away from the Triangle and moving towards a more-traditional offense.  LA's been mostly able to get away with not having a traditional PG at the helm, but that may be less true going forward.  I'd look for them to push hard for CP3.  D-Fish ain't going to cut it anymore.

Dwight Howard would be phenomenal, but I don't see Orlando cutting ties yet.  If they're still underperforming next January, they'll trade him but they've got to try and make things work with Howard before shipping him off.  They'll still be able to get value for him at next year's deadline.  

The only way I could see Orlando trading Dwight this offseason is if they were also able to offload a LOT of additional salaries in the process - like, Gil Areneas.  Can't see how LA would possibly do that, or how any third team would get involved if it meant taking HIM back.  

[Chris]

and Williams doesn't do much for me. 

I'm not a big Williams guy, but I think he'd fit well in the triangle as a 4th or 5th scoring option.

Sure.  But he doesn't make up the difference between Bynum and Iggy IMO. 

[Moranis]

I highly doubt Dwight Howard will be a Laker.  What do the Magic get from this deal?  Bynum?  Well, his stock ain't that great right about now and he is owed a bunch of money, $15.2 a year until 2014.  Salary cap relief?  Lakers have $84 million locked up through 2013, so that isn't gonna happen either.

Insurance that they don't lose their star center for nothing.

Rudy Gay would be a good fit for the Lakers, but the Grizzlies amazingly don't really have a fit for any of the Laker bigs.

Add a third team.  Something like this: Bynum to Utah, Millsap and Bell to Memphis, Gay to LA.

It gives Utah a legit center and gives Utah a pretty solid young 3 man big-man rotation with Bynum, Jefferson, and Favors.  Memphis gets another young versatile player, who is much cheaper then Gay and a cagey defensive minded wing for the bench.  LA gets a dynamic wing scorer to take some of the pressure off of Kobe and would give the Lakers a pretty formidable starter at the 2-5 spot.  

[Lucky17]

The only way I could see Orlando trading Dwight this offseason is if they were also able to offload a LOT of additional salaries in the process - like, Gil Areneas.  Can't see how LA would possibly do that, or how any third team would get involved if it meant taking HIM back.  

Odom, Bynum, Walton and Blake (as filler) for Howard and Arenas.

Laker starting five of Fisher, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Howard, with Arenas playing the Jason Terry/6th man role.

Still have Barnes for D off the bench, and a resigned Shannon Brown. LA would still have the MLE and a $5 mil trade exception to acquire some frontcourt depth.

[Finkelskyhook]

When talking about trading Bynum, especially in a deal for Howard, you have to consider that Bynum has never averaged more than 31 minutes a game in the regular season or more than 32 minutes a game during the playoffs.  That is a remarkably light work load for a player of his supposed abilities and he still has consistently broken down under it.  Any GM who thinks he can trade for Bynum and start playing him 36+ minutes a night should be fired before he can ever pick up the phone and call LA.

Mike

Well, playing a bunch of half seasons didn't hurt Jermaine O'Neal or Jalen Rose's stock for years and years.  Bynum may not have Jermaine's resume.....But he's huge.  

Wait until we see how many gazillions Demarcus Blount Cousins will get in his contract year.

GMs have taken flyers on a lot worse.

Gasol is far from being written off by anybody.  LA can't blow up their team.  Their fans won't stand for it.  If they move Gasol, I'm guessing it'll be for a prime PG.  There ain't too many coaches beyond Herman Muenster running the triangle.

[the_Bird]

The only way I could see Orlando trading Dwight this offseason is if they were also able to offload a LOT of additional salaries in the process - like, Gil Areneas.  Can't see how LA would possibly do that, or how any third team would get involved if it meant taking HIM back.  

Odom, Bynum, Walton and Blake (as filler) for Howard and Arenas.

Laker starting five of Fisher, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Howard, with Arenas playing the Jason Terry/6th man role.

Still have Barnes for D off the bench, and a resigned Shannon Brown. LA would still have the MLE and a $5 mil trade exception to acquire some frontcourt depth.

I would never, ever, ever put Arenas on the same team as Kobe.  I'd be too afraid of getting arrested for complicity in the homicide that would inevitably follow.  Arenas SHOULD be ideal in that kind of Jet Terry-type of role, but just like Iverson before him he's proving that he's been unable to evolve his game and he's clueless even knowing that he NEEDS to evolve his game into that role. 

If I'm Orlando, though, I'm not trading Howard until the deadline unless someone's going to help clean up that huge mess I made. 

[wdleehi]

I am trying to think of the perfect player I do not like to put on there.


Beasley?  He has the perfect shrinking game in the playoffs.



Boozer?  Regular season wonder who become playoff invisible.


AK47?  If Utah can make him cry, imagine what Kobe and LA can do.


My favorite idea, Blatche.   Trade Gasol for Blatche and Young.  Two offensive gunners that play no defense. 

[MBunge]

When talking about trading Bynum, especially in a deal for Howard, you have to consider that Bynum has never averaged more than 31 minutes a game in the regular season or more than 32 minutes a game during the playoffs.  That is a remarkably light work load for a player of his supposed abilities and he still has consistently broken down under it.  Any GM who thinks he can trade for Bynum and start playing him 36+ minutes a night should be fired before he can ever pick up the phone and call LA.

Mike

Well, playing a bunch of half seasons didn't hurt Jermaine O'Neal or Jalen Rose's stock for years and years.  Bynum may not have Jermaine's resume.....But he's huge.  

Wait until we see how many gazillions Demarcus Blount Cousins will get in his contract year.

GMs have taken flyers on a lot worse.

Gasol is far from being written off by anybody.  LA can't blow up their team.  Their fans won't stand for it.  If they move Gasol, I'm guessing it'll be for a prime PG.  There ain't too many coaches beyond Herman Muenster running the triangle.

Once JO started to play in Indiana, he averaged over 35 minutes a game in 5 out of 7 seasons.  Even in years when injuries limited him to just 44, 51 and 69 games, he still averaged 34.8, 35.3 and 35.6 minutes a game.

In comparison, Bynum has never averaged more than 30.4 minutes a game during the regular season or more than 32 minutes a game in the playoffs and he's still had major injuries for 4 straight years.  As I said, any GM who thinks he can trade for Bynum and start playing him 35+ minutes a game should be fired before he can pick up the phone and call LA.

Mike

[Who]

I think Bynum is a 17-18ppg + 8-9rpg + very good defense in around 32-33 minutes a night type player.

Not convinced he can play more minutes than that on a regular basis after all the injuries. He has a lost a lot physically.

[snively]

Pau Gasol is a top 15 player in this league. Generally considered a top 5 big man. Is only 30 years old and could easily have 4-5 more years at an All-NBA level.

He is a hugely valuable asset to any team that wants to win in the immediate + short term future.

Orlando isn't going to value a top 15 player towards the end of his prime as much as other teams in the league.  The Arenas and Turkoglu deals have crippled their ability to contend for the next few years even with a top 5 player in Dwight. 

Pau would be in his mid-30s by the time they cleared the Turkoglu and Arenas salaries off the books.

If the Magic trade Dwight, they need to acquire a younger talent whose value won't depreciate during the dog years ahead and/or unload some of their bad contracts with him.

Thus, I think Bynum is the only Lakers' asset with significant appeal to the Magic, and he's not quite enough to fetch Howard, due to the health concerns.

When you factor in the Orlando fan base's strong aversion to replaying the Shaq scenario and I have a very hard time seeing Orlando dealing Howard to LA. 

I do see LA shopping Bynum pretty heavily next season to add athleticism to their frontcourt and shooting to their backcourt.  With a strong postseason run (his first), Bynum's value is at its peak and I'm sure the Lakers will be looking to cash in before they consider breaking apart the Kobe-Pau-Odom core that anchored their two titles.

Bynum/Blake for Josh Smith/Kirk Hinrich would be intriguing for both teams.