The Houston Rockets have been linked to LA Lakers PF/C Pau Gasol ever since the team's three-way deal to acquire Gasol was infamously vetoed by NBA commissioner David Stern right before the start of the 2011-2012 season.
Now, seven months later, both Houston and LA are still looking to shake up their roster, which is why ESPN Insider Chad Ford thinks the Lakers could be interested in dealing their veteran big man for the Rockets two first-round picks:
Chad Ford (3:50 PM): Might be the latter. It's time for the Lakers to add some young blood to the team and I think Rockets would give up their picks to land Gasol.
It's an interesting bit of speculation since LA could conceivably turn Gasol into two cost-controlled starters on rookie-scale salaries, a huge bonus for a team facing massive luxury tax payments in the next few years due to the ballooning salary of Kobe Bryant.
However, they did deal out of the first round at the trade deadline, as the franchise is in win-now mode due to Kobe's advancing age.
Houston, on the other hand, would almost certainly pull the trigger on a deal that would bring the Rockets the star they've been coveting ever since Yao Ming's retirement.
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