Steve Nash

ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin has a few updates via Twitter regarding the Lakers' injured starters. He tweets the news from Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni that there is a chance Steve Nash will play for the team on their upcoming road trip.

D'Antoni said it was not definite that the 38-year-old point guard would return in the near future, but that he was far enough along in his recovery that it was a possibility. Nash has not played for the Lakers since their second game of the season, when he suffered a broken leg.

McMenamin also reports (link to tweet) that Pau Gasol will remain the starter at power forward when he returns from his current bout with knee tendinitis. This news comes in spite of the rocky start Gasol is off to with D'Antoni as coach, and the perceived notion that the two were not on the same page. The team was previously considering bringing Gasol off the bench when he returned. It would also point to the recent statements from the team that they do not intend to trade Gasol.

On Wednesday, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game heard from a source that the Lakers landed Steve Nash this summer by promising him that he would get to play with Pau Gasol.  Earlier tonight, the guard confirmed the story in an interview with ESPN’s Doris Burke, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Nash says that he told Lakers brass “If Pau is staying, I want to come.”  In essence, Nash turned down offers from the Knicks and passed on the opportunity to return to Canada with the Raptors because he was promised that Gasol would be in Los Angeles.  One has to imagine that the Lakers would be reluctant to trade the forward months after promising Nash that he would stay put.

Speaking to the media today, Wolves GM David Kahn told reporters that he hasn’t had any trade talks with the Lakers.  Meanwhile, buzz around the league suggests that teams aren’t eager to trade for Gasol and his $19MM salary.

Despite building chatter that the Lakers will trade forward Pau Gasol, the club may opt to keep him to satisfy guard Steve Nash.  The club landed Nash this summer by promising him that he would get to play with the Spaniard, a source tells Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter).

Nash, the source says, turned down offers from the Knicks and passed on the opportunity to return to Canada with the Raptors because he was promised that Gasol would stay.  It’s possible, of course, that Nash re-thinks his position if the team continues to struggle upon his return.  

Agreements such as this aren’t unheard of in the league as Chris Paul made similar personnel demands as part of his agreement to be dealt to the Clippers.  Paul demanded that the Clippers would do whatever was necessary to retain restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan.

Yesterday we learned that General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke with Gasol’s representatives and explained that the team will have to explore trade possibilities if his play doesn’t improve.  The forward missed last night’s game against the Rockets due to tendinitis in both knees but benching had nothing to do with an impending deal.

2:17pm: League executives believe that Los Angeles won't have any real discussions for Gasol until Steve Nash returns, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets.  They also believe that they Lakers will hold off until after December 15th, when players who signed contracts over the summer can be traded.

1:32pm: Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke with Gasol's representatives and explained that the team will have no choice but to explore trade possibilities if Gasol is unable to adjust to Mike D'Antoni's system, multiple league sources tell ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.  Gasol, who has been the subject of heavy trade speculation for weeks, will miss tonight's game due to tendinitis in both knees.  However, the resting has to do specifically with the big man's injury and isn't being prompted by a forthcoming trade

The former four-time All-Star has career low numbers so far in 2012/13, averaging 12.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 34.8 minutes per contest.  From a team standpoint, the Spaniard doesn't seem to mesh well in the club's offensive system or make a strong complement to center Dwight Howard.  Gasol's mental lapses on the court have also been well documented and have been a recurring problem for the club over the last couple of years.