With All-Star Weekend, the traditional half-way point of the NBA season, over, trade rumors are beginning to heat up around the league.
Over at NBA.com, Sam Smith, one of the most well-connected reporters in the industry, is reporting that Pau Gasol may still wind up with the Houston Rockets:
Pau Gasol: He probably has the best chance of being traded among the current and former All-Star players. The Lakers are woefully short in the backcourt and with depth and athleticism. He was in that aborted preseason deal to the Rockets, and their interest is said to remain the most significant. The deal that's been most speculated is Gasol for Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry. The Rockets are said to be high on Goran Dragic and Jonny Flynn to replace Lowry, and the Lakers desperately need a point guard under Mike Brown's system. This is a deal, denied for now, that benefits both teams and seems likely to be made.
While Kyle Lowry has come into his own as a legitimate front-line PG this season, a deal with only him and Luis Scola isn't all that imposing a package for a 31-year old Hall of Fame bound 7'0, and if the Lakers really are considering that deal, they'll be bombarded with calls from 25 other NBA teams over the next two weeks.
Everyone thought the Lakers made out like bandits when they acquired Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies, but as it turns out, they had to give up an All-Star center (his younger brother Marc) to get him.
Either way, it's unlikely LA makes a move with Gasol until they figure out where they stand in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, as it's unclear whether Orlando will end up pulling the trigger on moving their franchise player before the deadline.