Lakers Pull of Blockbuster Deal and Acquire All Star Forward Pau Gasol from Grizzlies

Friday February 1, 2008- In a stunning blockbuster trade, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most lopsided trades of this NBA season in acquiring Grizzlies Forward/Center Pau Gasol for draft picks and Kwame Brown.

This trade was an incredible steal for Pau Gasol on the Lakers end. The Lakers will be giving up forward Kwame Brown, the former number one overall pick of the draft who has been a bust in the NBA and shown that he may never be an All Star in this league. The Grizzlies wanted to acquire Brown in this deal because his $9 million contract expires at the end of this season and it provides some much needed cap room for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies will also be receiving two future first round picks to help build their young nucleus as well as guard Javaris Crittenton who has potential as a good young player. Crittenton was drafted 19th overall in last years draft and was averaging 3 points per game this season off the bench. The two future first round picks likely won't mean much since the Lakers will be competing for NBA championships instead of the NBA lottery in the years to come. This means that the two draft picks that the Grizzlies will be acquiring will be late first round picks. The Grizzlies will also be getting the expiring contract of guard Aaron Mckie.

In Pau Gasol, the Lakers get a player who averages 19 points a game and 9 rebounds a game, something that only 11 players currently in the NBA are averaging per game. This trade provides much needed relief for the Los Angeles Lakers who had rising center Andrew Bynum go down for several weeks with an injury. Bynum had been playing like an All Star and was having without question, the best season of his young career. The Lakers were also having trouble winning games with the absence of Bynum. Now the trade of Gason can help the Lakers win basektball games and once again compete with the best in the NBA's Western Conference. The trade also makes the Lakers one of the best, if not the best team in the Western Conference. If you look at this team with Bynum coming back from his injury, Gasol and one of the best players in the league in Kobe Bryant, this Lakers team will be hard to stop. In addition, small forward Lamar Odom does a little bit of everything to help his team win and veteran guard Derek Fisher knows what it takes to win.

This deal is also great for the Lakers because it makes Kobe Bryant happy after a turbulent off-season of trade demands. With the emergence of Andrew Bynum who will be a future All Star and the trade for Gasol, the Lakers will be one of the best teams in basketball and it will certainly make Kobe Bryant happy, not to mention any speculation of him being traded from the Lakers.

In 2002, Pau Gasol won the Rookie of the Year Award and in 2006 was a Western Conference All Star.