Despite a surprising 13-13 start to the season, the Lakers find themselves limping into their last game before the All-Star break, having lost eight of their last 10 contests. With a tough matchup against the Thunder tonight, the Lakers are surely looking forward to a week long vacation. Let’s round up the latest notes out of Lakerland..
- Pau Gasol still feels the Lakers want him, even amid the specter of a potential trade to the Suns. Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times has the details.
- Unlike years past, this season’s trade deadline might feature a major move by the Lakers, opines Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin observes that this is the first time in quite awhile that Los Angeles has been this far out of playoff contention, and he suggests their strategy at the deadline might change as a result.
- In the same piece, McMenamin notes the repeater tax set to be instated this summer could push the Lakers to make one or more trades that would land them underneath luxury tax threshold. Along with Gasol, McMenamin sees Steve Blake, Chris Kaman, and Jordan Hill as players that could be moved to help the team shed salary.
- Earlier today, we passed along news and notes on both Los Angeles teams.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.