The Los Angeles Lakers made a lot of headlines this past offseason when they added Marc Gasol.
That move ultimately had massive ramifications not only for the defending champs, but also for the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors. The hope was that Gasol would be able to come in and provide roughly the sort of production Dwight Howard offered last year.
Ultimately, that didn’t end up happening.
A disappointing first half of the year by Gasol where he averaged just 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as the starter prompted LA to go out and sign Andre Drummond this past weekend. Montrezl Harrell’s reaction to the move speaks volumes about how the rest of the Lakers feel about it.
Now that the Lakers have Drummond, the big question on everyone’s mind is: do the Lakers still need Gasol?
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the answer is beginning to seem like no.
“As much as Marc Gasol’s subpar contributions helped lead Los Angeles to pursue Drummond, Gasol remains under contract,” he wrote. “There remains some speculation from rival executives that he could now come to a buyout agreement with the Lakers.”
Now we know. https://t.co/giybknFbu8
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 29, 2021
Gasol is making a mere $2.6 million this year and is due just $2.7 million next season. Getting out of that commitment won’t be too difficult, should the Lakers want to. The only issue is that, between James’ questionable return time from his injury and Anthony Davis’ lingering health issues, it is unclear whether the Lakers have enough healthy bodies on hand to get rid of one at this juncture.
Regardless of what happens with Gasol, the defending champs currently have one roster spot that needs to be filled, and that will likely take priority over everything else.
Once that’s done, though – don’t be too shocked if Gasol ultimately ends up getting his walking papers.
Now we know. https://t.co/giybknFbu8
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 29, 2021
Related: Andre Drummond’s Old Tweet About LeBron James Resurfaces (Photo)
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
