Derrick Rose has let it be known to Bulls management that we wants to play with Pau Gasol if Chicago is able to swing a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for the veteran power forward from Spain, a source close to Rose told SheridanHoops.com on Sunday.
The Spanish news outlet Marca was the first to report Sunday that Rose has given his blessing for the Bulls to go after Gasol with a package that would be centered around Carlos Boozer and another player.
“He hasn’t said so publicly, but he has made that known privately,” said the source, who spoke to SheridanHoops.com on condition of anonymity.
Gasol has been the subject of trade speculation all season after the Lakers were ready to ship him to the Houston Rockets in the three-way trade vetoed by commissioner David Stern that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Gasol has acknowledged that is impossible to ignore the rumors, especially given the fact that Los Angeles had already deemed him expendable.
Boozer has three years and $46 million remaining on his contract, while Gasol is due to make $38 million over the next two seasons.
The Lakers have an $8.9 million trade exception from the Lamar Odom trade that they could use to acquire a player making up to that amount without surrendering much (it could be as little as a conditional second-round pick) in return, which gives general manager Mitch Kupchak enormous flexibility in trying to improve a Lakers team that has struggled offensively all season.
If the Bulls were willing to surrender backup point guard C.J. Watson in a Boozer-Gasol deal, it would address the Lakers’ need for a young, steady point guard to buttress their current rotation of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
But Chicago has been leaning heavily on Watson as Rose has missed five consecutive games with back spasms (he is listed questionable for Monday, coach Tom Thibodeau said after practice Sunday), and journeyman Mike James is their only other playmaker.
Bynum and Players for Howard. Exception and draft picks for a point guard. Just a decent one. Session or Brooks. Keep Gasol and you have Legit big 3 Lakers advantage over the years has always been their size. We can’t get rid of that advantage.
CrzyFan
You mean like we totally got rid of the tradition of the magical passing point guard who gets every teammate into the game?
Gasol for Boozer would be ridiculous. No way such an uneven trade would happen, not helping the Lakers at all.
Gasol for Rose is more like it. Addresses the Laker’s needs. How would you like that Derrick? 🙂
Throw in Peace and Boozer as well, and you’ve got a deal.
That way Rose & Boozer could still be teammates…. on the Lakers, with Kobe & Bynum. hahahahahahahaha
rose doesn’t wanna lave chi-town
Gasol for Boozer would be ridiculous. No way such an uneven would be happen, not helping the Lakers at all.
Gasol for Rose is more like it. Addresses the Laker’s needs. How would you like that Derrick? 🙂
Through in Peace and Boozer as well, and you’ve got a deal.
That way Rose & Boozer could still be teammates on the Lakers. hahahahahahahaha
As a Laker fans since before there was a Chicago Bull, we do not need a pseudo-PG shooter like Wilson, we need a real PG, y’know, someone who dishes first, shoots second?? So we’d take James off yer hoofs, who would actually be an improvement over Fisher, but not Boozer unless you’d take Metta World Peace one up, but nothing for Gasol, thanks anyway. For James, you can have Fisher, and Walton! Their championship glow, i think between em there’s like 10 rings there, would help Chicago get over a hump. Not Miami, but a hump somewhere north of Miami and west of NY.
Gasol is 10 times better than Boozer. Here’s why- Gasol is a proven champion, clutch down the stretch, has been tougher even though he has been called Gasoft before. He has a much higher B-ball IQ too and is a way better passer when he is on the high post dumping it down to Bynum in the low post. Boozer is a washed up waste of money with injury problems, he’s undersized and his defensive awareness is pathetic! so pathetic it is sad. He was never the player he was hyped to be and NEVER will be. Plus he gets in the way in the key on offense and he can’t play as many minutes and he used to. He would simply get in Bynum’s way, plus the Lakers do no have a top 10 point guard for Boozer’s pick and pop style of play. Would rather keep Gasol or trade him for Luis Scola and Drogic plus draft picks. Keep dreaming Bulls fan!
I could see this making both teams better. Gasol is obviously better than Boozer, but Boozer is easily one of the best pick and pop/pick and roll guys in the game – and he’s above average on the glass. And, as a Bulls fan, I can tell you CJ Watson is a legit starting point guard. If Bynum stays healthy and takes a good amount of Gasol’s touches, this trade would make the Lakers deeper and much more balanced.
Not gonna happen. Seriously, the Bulls fans here are totally delusional. The Lakers would be better off trading Gasol to Houston for Scola, Kevin Martin and Dragic (or some combination) and then picking up Ramon Sessions for the Odom trade exception and a first round pick. Or even making a trade with Minnesota for Derrick Williams (plus somebody else) and draft pics and then picking up Sessions or Jose Calderon.
Gasol will likely be moved, but not to Chicago.
Agreed. Boozer can’t take a shift at center and doesn’t defend well at all. The Lakers would be dumping a roster strength (two huge, skilled frontcourt players) for a guy who is a clear downgrade in every respect, including contract length.
Interesting to hear Rose is ok getting rid of Boozer – he makes a lot of efforts to sound unremittingly loyal to his teammates in interviews.
This makes zero sense for the Lakers if they have any interest in competing, but then again, they practically WAIVED Lamar Odom for no good reason at all. Boozer DOES play better than a trade exception.
First round pick for Ramon Sessions?! No, LakerSteve. Derrick Williams? Yeah, for MWP. Jose Calderon? NOW YOU’RE TALKING. We need to concentrate on Toronto, not Chicago. Just not for Gasol. Somebody wake up Mitch.
Well Native, the first round pick will most likely be somewhere between 24 and 30 and the Lakers have two of them. So, YES, Ramon Sessions would be worth a pick like that. Check out his stats as a starter – very nice. Plus, he’s only 25 and can attack the rim.
And, nobody is saying to trade for Derrick Williams. What I said was, it would even be better to trade with Minnesota for Derrick Wiliams (this has been floating around) and draft pics then to Chicago for Boozer and CJ because the Lakers can do better. As for Calderon, it’s not gonna be that easy. He gets more than the 8.9 mil trade exception so they can’t directly go that route.
Nobody needs to wake up Mitch, or Jerry, or Jim. The know exactly what they’re doing. Right now, they’re waiting for March 1st because until then recently traded players and players under new contracts are unavailable for trades. In addition, it’s likely nothing is going to happen until Dwight Howard is out of the picture – one way or the other. Until then, unless the Lakers are offered a trade they absolutely can’t refuse (like Houston says they’ll part with Kyle Lowry and Scola for Gasol) Mitch and company will bide their time.
I am not so sanguine as you, Steve, in thinking Mitch and Jim (Jerry is not hands-on at the moment) know exactly what they’re doing, considering some of especially Mitch’s really poor contracts and signs. I think Jerry B trusted Mitch to be as good at the job as Jerry W, and that in itself was a mistake. It was Mitch who let the Lakers go to seed, not planning ahead SEASONS ago to get younger, relying on Fisher to be the guy again after not thinking so much of him they let him go in the first place. They were right the first time, and now look at their genius (theirs, not Fisher’s).
But are you saying Houston is saying they’ll part with Scola and Lowry for Pau?! That sounds too good to be true. They oughtta do the paperwork now so the trigger can automatically be pulled at midnight 3/1, if indeed they couldn’t do it the second Houston had said they would (?). If they can’t get Lowry after all, i’d still take Calderon and leave him to Brown to instill enough D in him, and let him start dishing. Tho in trading for him, i dunno who LA would agree to send to Toronto and who the Raptors would accept. Where the cupboard isn’t bare, it’s pretty unattractive (i believe the most underachieving cupboard in the league, thanks to Mitch). And i’d still hang onto those draft picks to trade for someone of more quality rather than give even one for Sessions. We’ve got enough underachievers as it is.
Native, did you just bust out sanguine?
Anyway, the Lakers (Mitch and Jim AND Jerry) weren’t counting on Fisher. They traded for CP3 before the season started. It was quite a coup. Unfortunately, as we all know, it was vetoed. But, make no mistake, the management group that brought the Lakers to three straight finals and two NBA Championships is going to do everything possible to improve the team. However, nothing is going to happen any sooner than March 1st – or, more likely, sometime within a couple of days of the trade deadline (March 15). And, as for letting the Lakers go to seed… you have to give up something to get something. The Lakers used what leverage they had to win championships, which makes it hard to build for the future, and they still have a team featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Trust me, it could be worse. A lot worse.
As for Lowry, I don’t actually believe Houston will part with Lowry. However, the Rockets originally wanted Gasol badly enough to send Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and a 2012 first-round pick – previously obtained from the Knicks – to New Orleans as part of the Gasol/CP3 trade so maybe there’s still a good deal to made with them. And, there’s the three-team deal with Houston and Orlando which could be a win for everybody.
Toronto would probably be happy to listen to any Calderon offers at all. Just be careful what you wish for – he has some really terrible defensive habits. I love the guy, but he needs constant care and attention.
Steve, Mitch let the Lakers go to seed years ago, not merely this winter. Jerry West somehow managed to keep an eye on the age chart as well as on the championship trophies, which apparently Mitch could not. He couldn’t land Chris Paul because he didn’t have any parts that were young enough to complete the deal. The failure in landing Paul is on Mitch’s head just as much as it’s on Stern’s. You need to understand that.
I’ve never worn the rose-colored glasses your faith in Mitch’s abilities require. The news out of Minnesota today does not bode well for the Lakers this year or Mitch’s long-term employment. If he thinks Derrick Williams is the answer to any question Laker fans are asking, trading for Pau Gasol no less, the actual question Williams answers is “How can Mitch screw this up even worse than it is and be put out to pasture over the summer himself for the huge backlash from Laker fans that will ensue if, with sucha trade, he makes the team dumber rather than younger.” Unless Ricky Rubio is included, and it doesn’t look like it, it doesn’t bear further discussion.
From the perspective of a 20 year Lakers fan, I can tell you that I don’t want Boozer on this team, but I also don’t want Gasol. Gasol is vastly over-rated for most people who don’t follow the Lakers. His numbers are good, but they are very misleading. That said, I’d take him over Boozer any day.
As a Laker fan of 40 years, I somewhat disagree with your post. I actually think Gasol in underrated. His numbers are solid, but not spectacular (he’s a career 19 pts, 9 reb). Yet, because of his length, intelligence and vast skill set, his impact on the game is huge. Yeah, sometimes he’s Gasoft, but he was the main post player during the Lakers two straight championships (in part due to Bynum’s injuries) and he was money.
That said, he’s now 31, a little bit mental, and getting paid max money. The Lakers, if they want to compete now and in the future, need to get younger and need to free up some cap space. Unfortunately, that means somebody has to go.
I do agree with you 100% that he’s a much better and more impactful player than Boozer though. Boozer is the anti-Gasol. He’s a career 17 and 10 guy, yet he rarely has a major impact on a game.
Gasol is overrated? Seriously? Take away last year’s playoffs (in which he was indeed awful – but then again so was most of the team), and he was being lauded as the best PF in the game. Even after those playoffs, aside from Gasol is still one of the best 3 or 4 PFs in the league and an overall top 15-20 player. Without him the Lakers would have not won in 2009 or 2010. No way.
Gasol will give you decent numbers most of the time, unless he’s fighting with his girlfriend. But he does nothing for team chemistry. He’s too moody. This Laker team under Brown has a real problem with motivation. If Houston were willing to deal Lowry and Scola for Gasol I would do it in a heart beat.
The deal for Howard isn’t going to happen. Kobe pretty much killed that deal with his second or third option conversation with Dwight. We’ll just have to keep praying that Drews knees hold up. Lowry and Scola would make the Lakers competitve beyond the first round of the playoffs. Unless they get some help I don’t see them going very far in the post season.
Hmmmm There are now rumors of a 3 team deal with Orlando, LA and Houston that would land Howard in LA… That being said, I could see the Lakers taking on Boozer + CJ. These guys may wind up getting moved somewhere else, like to Houston or Orlando. Even if they kept Boozer, Howard would offset the defensive loss and Boozer would stay out of Howards way.
In what world can you see the Lakers taking on Boozer and CJ? Seriously, it’s never gonna happen.
Now, the three team trade between Orlando, Houston and LA… that makes sense and could actually help all three teams.
The Lakers don’t want to trade Gasol, but he’s one of the few valuable assets they have. If they do move him, it will be for a high-level point guard and cap relief (or Dwight Howard). Yes, CAP RELIEF. Thus, there is no way (NO WAY) the Lakers will make a trade with the Bulls that includes Boozer. Not gonna happen.
What’s more likely to happen is that sometime after March 1st, the Lakers move Gasol or Bynum… or both, in a blockbuster trade… or two, which will net Dwight Howard or Kyle Lowry or Deron Williams (if Howard stays put or goes anywhere but NJ). And, short of that, the Lakers will keep this team intact and try for Jose Calderon or Ramon Sessions at pg and either Stephen Jackson or Tayshaun Prince for help at small forward.
Oh, and about C.J. Watson. Have any of you Chi-town folks actually looked at his stats? Check out his numbers over his career as a starter. Seriously weak sauce. Obviously, not as weak as Derek Fisher, but pretty weak none the less.
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/3277/cj-watson
U mean like Lin’s career stats before the past couple of weeks?
You do realize that CJ is 27. He’s in his 5th season. He’s had ample time to prove himself. Comparing CJ to Lin is… ridiculous.
Besides, your point is meaningless. Nobody would have traded a star player, or for that matter virtually anybody, for Jeremy Lin a month ago.
Don’t know what you are thinking but if you think the Bulls will trade Deng you are on the verge of showing that you are a true Laket fan.
This rumor is very suspect.
Derrick Rose would never ask the Bulls to get anyone. I doubt that part of this story happened. The Bulls would probably run trade options by him to get his blessing but they have never been known to do that either. The Bulls need an athletic big man that can score and rebound, Pau isn’t that guy anymore. If the Bulls wind up trading for an old guy, it will be a Celtic that has a good history with Thibs. While Boozer is soft on the defensive side his offensive production and rebounds are on par for his career averages. Which means the Bulls are getting what they hoped for from him. He won’t be traded.
you are seriously saying boozer is a better player than gasol ??
Did you see me say that anywhere? I said the Bulls need an athletic big man. Gasol is on the downslide, Boozer is soft. I don’t want either one of them. I want a 2/3rd year player who is athletic, shot blocker, defender, decent low post scorer. The Bulls need someone who is going to make LeBron and Wade think twice about trying to drive. What I DID say was that Boozer is putting up Boozer numbers. He’s playing as consistently as he has his whole career, that means the Bulls are getting from him what they are paying him for. They didn’t pay him thinking he would have some bust out career years here. They are paying him to do what he has always done and according to his stats, he is. So, what does that mean? The Bulls are getting what they paid for as long as that is happening, they won’t move him.
Derrick Rose wouldn’t campaign for Lebron when he was a FA, he has said he loves the make-up of their current team when he was asked about possibly acquiring Dwight Howard, and he has never demonstrated any diva qualities that make him see like the kind of player who would go to management and tell them to get Pau Gasol.
As much as I love this website and Chris Sheridan the anonymous source is making stuff up. Plus, don’t put that much faith in story in which comments from a Rose insider appear in a paper in Spain. That info would pop in in Chicago, or anywhere else in the USA, before it would in Spain.
Anything to get boozer out of the chi is fine by me. At this point its almost like getting gasol would be an extra… Boozer does not deserve the 15 mil a year or whatever outrageous number he is being paid. He plays like a role player and can barely guard down in the post
honestly, do you people eat paint chips for a living? Boozer is worse than Gasol in every phase of the game. Obviously, the paint eating chicago fans go “awsum trade! boozer and watson! lakers need a pg, lol!” But, come on, people. this is barely newsworthy.
Anyways, back to Boozer vs. Gasol… Defense? Gasol. Rebounder? Gasol. Shooter? Gasol See a trend. Move along chicago fans, unless the deal is Gasol for Deng/Asik/Watson, it wont happen. Even that probably wouldn’t get it done.
You should probably look at the stats before you go clamoring on things you don’t know. Boozer vs Gasol… Defense? Absolutely Gasol. Rebounder? Boozer. Check the stats. Boozer has a better career ORB%, DRB%, and TRB%. Shooter? Check again. They are almost identical. Boozer has a career TS% of 57.2% and an eFG% of 53.7%. Pau Gasol has a TS% of 57.7% and an eFG% of 52.2%. Those stats look pretty darn close to me.
Also. You really think the Lakers wouldn’t take Deng/Asik/Watson for Pau Gasol? Deng is an all star, a fantastic defender, and the most needed position on the Lakers team. Asik is one of the best backup centers in the league, is affordable, and is young still. Watson, while I am not a fan, is an upgrade over the corpses the Lakers currently have at PG.
put stats away !! do you really think boozer is better than gasol ? if you do then you are stupid ! Can boozer leads a team to championship like Gasol ? Do you see what Gasol do with Spain ? Gasol is presently the best big man behind Howard, if not the best !!
No need to put stats away. Boozer’s insufferable absence on defense alone is enough to cart him off, regardless of whether or not he pulls down more boards than Gasol. We would still have Gibson and Noah for that purpose.
You honestly think Pau is worth Deng, Asik and Watson?? You’re nuts. If the Lakers are looking to trade a player, they’re automatically worth less (supply and demand). Given that Gasol is getting up there in age and he’s owed $38M over the next 2 seasons makes him even less desirable. The rumor of Boozer and Watson for Gasol is pretty realistic. The only problem for the Bulls is who else can play PG if Derrick is still hurt??
Mike James for the rest of this season, then find a back-up in next year’s draft. Then, use Pau as leverage against Houston to get Luis Scola & Kevin Martin. Problem solved.
Did i SAY the Bulls would ever agree to that? Thats the price it would take to get Gasol. The ‘rumor’ of boozer/watson for gasol is not realistic at all. Where do you people come up with this shit?
Loozer is straight up garbage. A role player being paid like a star. He can’t defend and he can’t finish. Unless he grows 5 inches the Lakers don’t want anything to do with him.
You act like the Lakers franchise has never seen this dude in a playoff series. Gasol has punked him over and over again. Absolutely abused him on both ends of the floor.
CJ Watson being added into the mix is not good enough.
You’re gonna have to sweeten the offer quite a bit.
Carlos Bozzer, not Lozzer, Bozzer is a go to play the 4 spot for the bulls, sometimes he plays like a star
if anything the bulls could keep Watson and give the Lakers Boozer and a draft pick, Gasol could defiantly help put the bulls in the finals this year
The Lakers need a point guard. Why would they swap Gasol just for another power forward with a longer contract and a bad draft pick?
You can like it as much as you want. Asik is not a free agent so that’s an irrelevant point. Boozer and Watson are more than enough. The Lakers need a point guard and CJ can start for quite a few teams. And the Bulls don’t need another draft pick. For some reason you think the Lakers are in a position of strength.
i think including korver in this deal would actually be helpful. 1st off the lakers would be far more inclined to do the deal if korver was included and 2nd it clears another 5 million off the bulls payroll which gives them more money to sign omer asik. i would very much like it if this trade happened and korver would be included.
Korver’s contract calls for only $500,000 in guarantees next season. If the Bulls needed to free up money to re-sign Asik in the off-season, then they could cut ties with Korver and save the $4.5 million. Cutting ties with him now for that purpose is useless and actually hurts the team’s chances of winning this season.
Why would the Bulls have to throw in Korver? No need.
o i kno. boozer is so good, LA would probably trade kobe + pau + bynum for boozer.
I dont think the LA Lakers would trade Kobe, becuase he is there star, and the lakers need Bynum to play the center position, Pau Gasol for Carlos Boozer and C.J Watson is a good trade, The Lakers would get a good Forward, and a O.K point.
I dont think the LA Lakers would trade Kobe, becuase he is their
star, and the lakers need Bynum to play the center position, Pau Gasol for Carlos Boozer and C.J Watson is a good trade, The Lakers would get a good Forward, and a O.K point.
Do you think Boozer, Korver and Watson would get it done? Lakers might need to toss a pick Chicago’s way, but Watson gives them a solid point, Boozer lines up next to Bynum, and Korver brings them shooting off the bench. It’s a heavy price, but it could get Chicago to the finals.