Pau Gasol reportedly wants to be traded to the Chicago Bulls – NBA News
Pau Gasol wants to be traded to the Chicago Bulls it has emerged.
Sam Smith, who represents the official website of the Chicago Bulls, has said that sources close to the Los Angeles Lakers team have told him that Pau Gasol wants to be traded to the Bulls.
Pau Gasol had, statistically, one of the worst seasons of his career after averaging 17.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. In the playoffs, Gasol fell into some sort of slump, averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and
3.7 assists per game. He was unable to make plays for himself and get good position in the paint.
In the series against Denver Nuggets as well as Oklahoma City Thunder, Kobe Bryant called out Pau Gasol on numerous occasions in press conferences, saying that he was not bringing the energy and motivation it required to win in
the playoffs. His continuous open criticism seemed to have not gone well with Gasol, who hit back at Kobe when he said that all the plays cannot be made to find Kobe open for shots.
From the off court talks as well as the on court performance and demeanour of Gasol, it was clear that he was not happy in Los Angeles. He was almost traded before the season started in return for Chris Paul but NBA commissioner
David Stern thwarted the trade. There were rumours of him being traded again before the trade deadline.
After the season finished, and General Manager Mitch Kupchak made it clear that there was going to be a revamp of the team, it became almost certain that Gasol would be traded. The news of him wanting to move to Chicago has many
Bulls fans excited about the prospects. However, the Bulls have so far showed no interest in Gasol, neither have they made any comments on this news.
Gasol is expected to be paid $19 million over the next two years of his contract with the Lakers. The Chicago Bulls are also looking to revamping their team after a first round exit at the hands of 8th seeded Philadelphia
76ers this year in the playoffs. They lost star point guard and former MVP Derrick Rose in game 1 to an ACL tear to his left knee, and the team faltered without him.
This year, they are looking to add some scoring options to their lineup and Gasol seems to be a good fit. But adding Gasol would mean that the Bulls would have to completely change their team philosophy and playing style. Coach
Tom Thibodeau would have a tough few days ahead of him thinking about the possibility of Gasol playing for him in the Bulls roster. Gasol’s arrival in the windy city could also mark the beginning of the end for over-rated Carlos Boozer.
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