Marc Gasol remains to be one of the few players from last season's Los Angeles Lakers team that is currently still part of the roster for 2021-22. As it turns out, however, this could all change soon with the Lakers reportedly looking to trade the veteran big man.
According to ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne, LA actually explored sending Gasol to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a sign-and-trade centered around Alex Caruso:
“Caruso had a couple of deals, and I’m sure you’ve heard some of these too, Zach,” Shelburne said on Wednesday on Zach Lowe's The Low Post podcast (h/t Jacob Rude of Silver Screen & Roll). “… He had a couple of deals, somewhere around the mid-level. One was a team that didn’t have to do a sign-and-trade, and that was the Bulls, and that was the one he preferred anyway.
“But I heard the Timberwolves were in on this. It would have been a sign-and-trade, and they actually would have taken back Marc Gasol. Like that could have been salary cap relief for the Lakers, not just a trade exception. So we’ll see if they end up needing those exceptions, we’ll see if they end up needing those extra tools to build this roster out, but I think that’s really where we’re going to decide ‘was the Westbrook trade a success?’”
It isn't surprising that the Lakers explored the possibility of doing a sign-and-trade for Caruso (though he ultimately decided to sign with Chicago). It also wouldn't be shocking if LA actually included Marc Gasol in these trade talks — and not only with the Timberwolves.
Right now, however, Gasol remains to be a Laker. However, it's no secret that he wasn't the most effective player on the roster last season. As such, LA appears to be looking into the prospect of parting ways with the three-time All-Star prior to the start of the new season.
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