The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly tried to make a blockbuster deal that would have sent power forward Pau Gasol to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Brazilian big man Anderson Varejao before the trade deadline last season, a source close to situation reported on Monday.
According to ESPN NBA insider Dave McMenamin, the Lakers really attempted to use Gasol’s expiring contract as trade bait to get a solid veteran that could help them for their future campaigns. General manager Mitch Kupchak desired to acquire Varejao, an underrated veteran who can produce double-double numbers when healthy.
“When the Cavs and Lakers talked about a Pau trade last year, LAL repeatedly expressed interest in Varejao to no avail. You can see why today,” McMenamin posted on his Twitter account.
It was not surprising to learn why the Lakers had that much interest to get the 32-year old Varejao, who averaged 8.4 points and 9.7 rebounds over 10 NBA seasons. Aside from being an efficient scorer and good offensive rebounder, Varejao is simply a spark whenever he sets foot on the court as his boundless energy creates so many opportunities for his team to score.
Many analysts believed the Cavaliers were wise to keep Varejao, despite his struggles to stay healthy these past three seasons. Not only was he one of big factors in LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland, the Brazilian will have a big role as a backup center for the Cavaliers this coming season.
Meanwhile, the Lakers suddenly have an undersized frontline with the departure of Gasol to the Chicago Bulls. After missing on elite free-agents last summer, the Lakers spent some of their money to re-sign 6-foot-10 Jordan Hill, who will be the starting center for the purple-and-gold.
Gasol, on the other hand, will have a chance to be a high-impact player for another Eastern Conference title contender. With Joachim Noah already manning the center position, Gasol presence will make the Bulls frontline much more impeccable this year.
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