Bill Simmons' Idea: Gasol for #8/Bargnani?

[TheFlex]

"Fake trade alert: Who turns down Bargnani + #8 for Pau? A Gasol/Nash combo would be fun in Toronto. Plus Kobe/Bargnani can speak Italian." -- Bill Simmons twitter account about 40 minutes ago.

Thoughts? To me if I'm the Lakers I throw in the first rounder they already have and offer to pay some of Gasol's contract (though they DON'T want to do that) and hope to pry Jose Calderon away from Toronto as well.

[Fafnir]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

[StartOrien]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

I agree with your thoughts regarding Gasol, I still think he's a premiere talent in this league. But you do kind of get the feeling that the Lakers want to move him just to move him at this point.

That being said, I don't think this trade is quite enough.

[Lucky17]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

Agreed. For the self-proclaimed "Picasso of the Trade Machine," this one's more like finger-painting.

[Fafnir]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

I agree with your thoughts regarding Gasol, I still think he's a premiere talent in this league. But you do kind of get the feeling that the Lakers want to move him just to move him at this point.

That being said, I don't think this trade is quite enough.

I think they view his value as a C for another team as being higher than what they'll get out of him next to Andrew Bynum.

But to borrow a Bill Simmons metaphor, in the NBA you can't just trade a dollar player for another dollar player(s). That seems to be the only sort of deal the Lakers are willing to do.

[Who]

If they get the #8 pick too. Say they draft Damian Lillard who sounds very interesting.

PG - Lillard, Sessions
SG - Kobe,
SF - Artest, Barnes, Ebanks
PF - Bargnani, McRoberts
C  - Bynum, Hill

If Lillard is the real deal and provides LA with much improved dribble penetration and explosive scoring from the backcourt + in addition to Bargnani's shooting/scoring ability and excellent complementary game to Kobe/Bynum (opens up the post and spaces out the floor) ... with more youth coming in and helping the transition into a new Lakers era.

I could see that being worthwhile for LA. If Lillard is as good as some are making him out to be (a bigger more explosive Mo Williams).

[2short]

here is my thought on gasol
if kg retires he would be one of the small handful of bigs i'd go after, good all around game

[Fafnir]

If they get the #8 pick too. Say they draft Damian Lillard who sounds very interesting.

PG - Lillard, Sessions
SG - Kobe,
SF - Artest, Barnes, Ebanks
PF - Bargnani, McRoberts
C  - Bynum, Hill

If Lillard is the real deal and provides LA with much improved dribble penetration and explosive scoring from the backcourt + in addition to Bargnani's shooting/scoring ability and excellent complementary game to Kobe/Bynum (opens up the post and spaces out the floor) ... with more youth coming in and helping the transition into a new Lakers era.

I could see that being worthwhile for LA. If Lillard is as good as some are making him out to be (a bigger more explosive Mo Williams).

I just get the feeling that team would fall apart defensively.

4/5s of the starters would be plodders or potential plodders for their position. Of course that's largely the case with their current line up too, I just trust Gasol to defend a lot more than I do Bargs....

[mctyson]

"Fake trade alert: Who turns down Bargnani + #8 for Pau? A Gasol/Nash combo would be fun in Toronto. Plus Kobe/Bargnani can speak Italian." -- Bill Simmons twitter account about 40 minutes ago.

Thoughts? To me if I'm the Lakers I throw in the first rounder they already have and offer to pay some of Gasol's contract (though they DON'T want to do that) and hope to pry Jose Calderon away from Toronto as well.

I just don't see how that combination is one that lasts.  But if Toronto really feels they can get 2 good years out of Nash, you have to surround him with veteran talent no rookies.

Makes a ton of sense for LA though.

[JSD]

Hmm... A guy who sits out the year after breaking a nail + a lottery pick for a proven all star calliber champion whose team is looking to move on from makes sense.

[pearljammer10]

What a terrible trade for the Lakers to make... Gasol is so underratted I dont see why so many people think that the Lakers just want to give him away. He may be getting older, but he is a player that I dont see getting any worse with age. His skill set is very tim duncan to me, in that he doesnt need speed and athleticism to make a big impact on a game.

[TheFlex]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

I agree from an individual talent evaluation aspect sure, but from a team oriented aspect LAL didn't get it done with the team they have... a near first round out and getting absolutely gutted in the second round doesn't fit a team who has three All-Star caliber players; they aren't dealing Kobe, Bynum deserves his chance after a spectacular year (overall; gotta take it one step at a time with kids like him), so Pau is the only one left.

The Lakers clearly want to get rid of him and a team isn't going to pay based off what they think he can do for their team in these circumstances. They'll offer based off what esteem the Lakers hold him in, one that is clearly declining and declining fast after last year.

As someone mentioned above the Calderon addition wouldn't work cap wise I don't think (good going offering Kobe 30 million, Mitch), salary cap just completely slipped my mind. That deal with Calderon even still understates Gasol's individual skill level but is a pretty decent gauge of what tier the Lakers are putting Gasol on right now. The #8/Bargnani is too low regardless for me even if it's just for Gasol straight up. Somewhere between that deal and a #5/Evans swap is what I think the Lakers could get for Gasol. Gasol/future no. 1 heads to the Warriors for #7/David Lee? Then they could just dump MWP and there's an array of wing talent for the Lakers at #7, wishful thinking being MKG/Barnes slipping but more realistically Jeremy Lamb. If they want to go big John Henson/Meyers Leonard are two names floating around that range of the draft. If they want a point guard they might be able to get away with snatching up Damian Lillard, as someone above suggested. Or they could just trade the pick back and pick up Terrance Ross, Moe Harkless, Royce White etc.

[TheFlex]

The Lakers hang up the phone immediately. People are way too down on Gasol he's not overpaid and he's not signed for longer than his prime is going to last.

I agree from an individual talent evaluation aspect sure, but from a team oriented aspect LAL didn't get it done with the team they have... a near first round out and getting absolutely gutted in the second round doesn't fit a team who has three All-Star caliber players; they aren't dealing Kobe, Bynum deserves his chance after a spectacular year (overall; gotta take it one step at a time with kids like him), so Pau is the only one left.

The Lakers clearly want to get rid of him and a team isn't going to pay based off what they think he can do for their team in these circumstances. They'll offer based off what esteem the Lakers hold him in, one that is clearly declining and declining fast after last year.

As someone mentioned above the Calderon addition wouldn't work cap wise I don't think (good going offering Kobe 30 million, Mitch), salary cap just completely slipped my mind. That deal with Calderon even still understates Gasol's individual skill level but is a pretty decent gauge of what tier the Lakers are putting Gasol on right now. The #8/Bargnani is too low regardless for me even if it's just for Gasol straight up. Somewhere between that deal and a #5/Evans swap is what I think the Lakers could get for Gasol. Gasol/future no. 1 heads to the Warriors for #7/David Lee? Then they could just dump MWP and there's an array of wing talent for the Lakers at #7, wishful thinking being MKG/Barnes slipping but more realistically Jeremy Lamb. If they want to go big John Henson/Meyers Leonard are two names floating around that range of the draft. If they want a point guard they might be able to get away with snatching up Damian Lillard, as someone above suggested. Or they could just trade the pick back and pick up Terrance Ross, Moe Harkless, Royce White etc.

Wow pathetic I completely forgot about cap again... here's my adjusted deal with trade machine link as proof, only add in the Warriors 2012 #7 pick going to the Lakers and a future LA no. 1 going to the Warriors.

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8x65fvt

[Geo123]

Sorry but I don't agree with you guys.  If I'm Toronto there's no way I'd trade Bargnani and the 8th pick for Pau.  Pau is 5 years older and makes twice as much money.  I won't contend adding Pau to my team so why would I trade both a top 10 pick in a strong draft and a young big man who averaged almost 20 ppg.  Granted he's a poor rebounder but still no way.

Now if I'm the lakers I jump at it.  I get younger and lose some payroll bucks plus get a top 10 pick where I can add either a PG (Lillard or Marshall) or an athletic wing player like RIvers, Waiter or Lamb...

[Who]

Sorry but I don't agree with you guys.  If I'm Toronto there's no way I'd trade Bargnani and the 8th pick for Pau.  Pau is 5 years older and makes twice as much money.  I won't contend adding Pau to my team so why would I trade both a top 10 pick in a strong draft and a young big man who averaged almost 20 ppg.  Granted he's a poor rebounder but still no way.

Now if I'm the lakers I jump at it.  I get younger and lose some payroll bucks plus get a top 10 pick where I can add either a PG (Lillard or Marshall) or an athletic wing player like RIvers, Waiter or Lamb...

If they got Steve Nash in free agency to go along with Pau Gasol, you don't think that is worthwhile for Toronto?