Lakers Trade Rumors: Kyle Lowry for Pau Gasol on Los Angeles' Radar?
Another quick exit from the second round of the playoffs will have the Lakers management looking to make some changes.
One of the Lakers biggest weaknesses this season was at the point guard position. They moved Derek Fisher at the trade deadline because he wasn't getting the job done and traded for Ramon Sessions.
Sessions was an upgrade for Los Angeles, averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 assists after the trade. However, he struggled in the postseason, scoring three fewer points and dishing out three fewer assists per contest.
The Lakers even opted to play backup Steve Blake in some crunch time situations over Sessions. Blake hasn't been a regular starter since 2009, so it's unlikely that L.A. would be comfortable giving him the job.
It's been less than 24 hours since Los Angeles was eliminated from the playoffs, but there is a lot of speculation that Pau Gasol will be traded before the start of next season. ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler said he wouldn't be surprised to see Gasol traded, and #IdTradeGasolfor has been trending on Twitter.
There's a good chance the Lakers will look to trade Gasol in exchange for a point guard. They tried to do it at the end of 2011 when they sent Gasol in a trade that landed them Chris Paul, but the deal was vetoed by NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Kyle Lowry may be the most likely player for Los Angeles to go after.
The Rockets guard was reportedly on the Lakers radar before the trade deadline, but Houston was hesitant to move him. Now, with L.A. being able to offer Sessions in a package, the Rockets may be more open to a deal.
Houston has shown interest in Gasol. They would have received him in the three-way trade that was supposed to send Paul to the Lakers. Sessions isn't an elite point guard, but the Rockets may be more willing to part with Lowry if they could get Gasol and Sessions.
Lowry has emerged as one of the better point guards in the game. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.6 assists this season. He almost led the Rockets to the playoffs with one of the weaker supporting casts in the league.
It won't be easy to make a trade work under the current collective bargaining agreement. Gasol will make almost $19 million next season, and Lowry is set to make less than a third of that salary.
If L.A. and Houston could get a third team involved, there's a good chance the two teams could work out a deal.
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