For weeks, it’s been pretty obvious that the Lakers and Marc Gasol would not reunite for another season together, despite the latter being under contract for one more year. NBA insider Marc Stein has been reporting for weeks that Gasol was “not a lock” to return, and that the team was looking at other options at center, a search that ultimately ended with them signing DeAndre Jordan.
And sure enough, after Jordan was officially signed on Thursday, the Lakers — in a Friday news dump so predictable that Anthony and I basically guaranteed it would happen on our last podcast — traded Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies, essentially dumping his salary to save some money on luxury taxes and free up an extra roster spot.