# Blazers active in trade talks



## Sonny-Canzano (Oct 20, 2007)

According to Sam Smith we offered Travis Outlaw and Raef Lafrentz for Pau Gasol. It's obvious Memphis wanted a lot of 1st round picks in return, something I know KP wouldn't want to do, but Jerry Buss and Co. were.


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

Interesting...

Oden/Gasol/LaMarcus would have been a heck of a big man rotation. All three have injury history, not to mention foul problems, so I think the rotation could have worked. But I can see why we wouldn't add any other picks as Gasol is only worth us getting in a fire sale.




> Acknowledging the logjam at point guard, Wallace said he does not anticipate going into next season with Crittenton, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley all on the roster.
> 
> "It'll be like locking the three of them in a room. We'll see which two come out, and we'll move the other guy," Wallace said.


^from the memphis GM... if we can't get Devin Harris maybe we can snag Conley this summer.


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## Sonny-Canzano (Oct 20, 2007)

I doubt it. 

Conley > Lowry
Conley > Crittenton

But I would love to see KP steal him away from the Griz.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

No thank you to Pau Gasol..

Travis Outlaw >>>>>> Pau Gasol


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## blzrfan08 (Apr 10, 2005)

-Sonny- said:


> According to Sam Smith we offered Travis Outlaw and Raef Lafrentz for Pau Gasol. It's obvious Memphis wanted a lot of 1st round picks in return, something I know KP wouldn't want to do, but Jerry Buss and Co. were.


It would surprise me if there was any serious negotiations there. I think a lot of GM's are calling KP hoping to get some of the young Blazers but that was a move that just wouldn't make sense for them.

I think that KP will hold out unless there is something that is just to good to pass up. He has two years to make a move and can wait for a good deal. We all know he can make a good move when he needs to, but he wants this to play out a little bit.


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## JFizzleRaider (Nov 1, 2004)

alext42083 said:


> No thank you to Pau Gasol..
> 
> Travis Outlaw >>>>>> Pau Gasol


:lol:

Outlaw is good, Outlaw is clutch, Outlaw is not an All-Star big man like Gasol is

To state Outlaw is better than Gasol is ridiculous.


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

-Sonny- said:


> I doubt it.
> 
> Conley > Lowry
> Conley > Crittenton
> ...


Derrick Rose > Conley

Hopefully Memphis is in a position where they cant pass up on Rose, so they have to dump Conley on us


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

alext42083 said:


> No thank you to Pau Gasol..
> 
> Travis Outlaw >>>>>> Pau Gasol


I like you but thats really stupid, sorry.

Gasol is an all-star caliber bigman, Travis _- no matter how you spin things for him -_ is not even close.


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

Damn. I really like Outlaw, but I kind of wish that deal had gone through. Or we'd packaged a couple of future first rounders like LA did. 

we could always have traded Gasol later for a premium, and we would've prevented the Lakers from getting him.


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## #10 (Jul 23, 2004)

mook said:


> we could always have traded Gasol later for a premium


Yeah, just like Abdur-Rahim. How would Gasol fit in with our team? Start both him and Aldridge? As if we weren't already soft enough in the paint... Gasol isn't as good as he's being made out to be, it wasn't long ago people were making a strong argument that Zach Randolph was as good if not better than Gasol.


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## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

Trading for Gasol makes no sense. We already have Oden and LMA. Plus, Gasol is NOT an All Star. He is an All Star like Magloire is an All Star. Once upon a time.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

Pau Gasol is comparable in no way to Jamal Magloire.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

Gasol is a very good big man who is sort of lost on the struggling Grizzlies. Don't forget, he led them to 50 wins only a couple of seasons ago. There's a reason that nearly every Fantasy mock draft had Gasol going in the 10-15 pick range, which is pretty darn good.

Put him on the Blazers and he'd be fighting Roy for the title of best player on the team...seriously. I'm a Blazer fan but I'm also a realist. If the trade was Outlaw and picks for Gasol then we're idiots not to do it. Outlaw has been very good, and his stock is at an all-time high, but I don't think there was much to this "rumor". Memphis already has Gay and Miller, and Travis's contract is good but doesn't have a ton of years on it at that cheap rate.


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## Zybot (Jul 22, 2004)

I don't think Pau would have fit in with this team that well. It would have been interesting, but I like what T-Law does for the team and I don't think that is easy to replace -- allstar or not.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Sam Smith is insane. He's always speculating or (seemingly) making stuff up. I would really doubt that Portland really offered this trade.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

That's a solid trade offer, but the Grizz are trying to sell the team and really wanted a contract that expired this season. If Raef came off the books this summer, I'm sure they would have done the deal over the crappy one they got from LA.

The Grizz just showed that the longer you hold onto your players you need to move, the worse the offers get. Zbo and Bonzi were good examples of that.

At least next season, Raef's expiring contact might give us the flexibility to make a deal like this for an impact player.


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

Good points, craigehlo.

I don't believe the Blazers "offered" that. I do believe the Griz came calling and tried to make a deal, and may have suggested something like that (plus picks from us).

IF true, it just goes to show that Pritchard isn't going to make just any deal. The man is not going to trade anyone from this roster unless he believes it's a clear long-term upgrade, in terms of talent, and maintains his character, chemistry and playing style goals.

:clap:


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## YardApe (Mar 10, 2005)

If Gasol is soooo great, the Grizzle would have gotten a hell of alot more for him than Kwame and some total who are they players! How long has Gasol been on the blocks anyways, 2 years? Outlaw is turning into a clutch player as we saw again last night. Our interior defense is a joke, we all know that but Gasol wouldn't change that one bit. So we gain a player who's soft and injury prone? I think we did fine on sitting that trade out.


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## HispanicCausinPanic (Jul 2, 2005)

No Thanks man! Just like the Shareef trade.


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## JFizzleRaider (Nov 1, 2004)

ZackAddy said:


> Trading for Gasol makes no sense. We already have Oden and LMA. Plus, Gasol is NOT an All Star. He is an All Star like Magloire is an All Star. Once upon a time.


Wow, completely different.

Gasol is a high caliber big man, Magliore was a fluke and basically made the team for no reason.

Gasol is a world champion and was the best player on that team. He's an amazing player anyway you spin it and people saying Zach Randolph was as good as him were just showing homerism


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

gasol has been the typical good player on a bad team, that somehow managed a 50 win season once and has never won a playoff game. 

he's kind of like elton brand, without the hardwork, the raw talent, the defensive capabilities, the leadership.. you get the point, if that makes any sense 


edit: ok i take that back. he's like the spanish eddy curry without the weight problem. there.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

BBert said:


> I don't believe the Blazers "offered" that. I do believe the Griz came calling and tried to make a deal, and may have suggested something like that (plus picks from us).


Yea, Pau is alright but his contract is a killer. I can't realistically see the Blazers interested purely on a salary cap basis. Why make all the moves for free agent flexibility on 2009 and give it up for a soft PF? Doesn't sound credible.


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## YardApe (Mar 10, 2005)

They don't expect Gasol to play a lick of defense on the Lakers either, the think he's smart enough to pick up the traingle in a much shorter time than it takes most to learn it. He'll take some of the pressure off Kobe and give Kobe something to lob passes to when tripled.


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## JFizzleRaider (Nov 1, 2004)

craigehlo said:


> Yea, Pau is alright but his contract is a killer. I can't realistically see the Blazers interested purely on a salary cap basis. Why make all the moves for free agent flexibility on 2009 and give it up for a soft PF? Doesn't sound credible.


The cap space is 2009 is a pipe dream. We basically have to gut the team if we want cap space. Goodbye Outlaw, Goodbye Blake. Our real treasure will be Raefs contract next year. If we get Harris in this deal, and somehow swing Raefs contract for an all star SF we would be stacked

PG: Harris
SG: Roy
SF: All-Star type SF
PF: LMA
C: Oden
6th man: Outlaw


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Make the deal......wait awhile, then dump him on an Eastern Conf team for whatever we can get......we still come out ahead because the thrice damned Lakers don't have him!!! :wink::wink::wink:


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

I highly doubt we offered that, and if we did shame on KP...Outlaw is a better overall player, flat out. More clutch, more versatile, more heart.You don't trade guys who have Trav's talents who actually like coming off of then bench. If this really was offered, I no longer have faith in kp...yikes, ugly trade.


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## taterz (Sep 14, 2007)

Why do poeple want to trade Outlaw? IMO he is next in line behide LMA, ROY, Oden as far as potential goes. He is a great guy, a team player, Mr 4th qtr cluch, and we just invested 4 years in the guy to get him to the point he is at now. Thing with Outlaw is that he is just scratching the surface of his abilities also. A Gasol trade would be a win now scenario, which is something that the blazers are not to worried about.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

JFizzleRaider said:


> :lol:
> 
> Outlaw is good, Outlaw is clutch, Outlaw is not an All-Star big man like Gasol is
> 
> To state Outlaw is better than Gasol is ridiculous.





NewAgeBaller said:


> I like you but thats really stupid, sorry.
> 
> Gasol is an all-star caliber bigman, Travis _- no matter how you spin things for him -_ is not even close.


Sounds good to me. For the Blazers, I'd much rather have Outlaw than Gasol.
I'm much rather have Outlaw's clutch play at $4 million per than Gasol's whining at every single call at $13 mill per.
I'd much rather have Outlaw's ability to create his own shot, shoot the 3, penetrate, take guys off the dribble and his defense, over Gasol's softness inside and his inability to know what defense is.
Gasol's injury-prone too.

Gasol is a one-time All-Star who will never make another All-Star game again.
Will he help the Lakers? Sure, but I'd still take Outlaw over him if I were the Blazers.

This "apparent" deal was Travis for Gasol anyway.. so it wasn't a ridiculous mismatch in talent.
And if the LA deal was as good as Memphis got, then maybe Gasol's value isn't as high as you guys value him as this All-Star, world champion, MVP caliber big man like you're describing Tim Duncan.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

Gasol is the Spanish version of Zach Randolph at this point. Given the salary difference and development curve - trading Outlaw for Gasol would have been a huge mistake, especially since he would eat into LaMarcus's minutes. I would much rather have LaMarcus play these minutes - he already gives you Gasol's production (when you include his defense) and will only get better.

Travis is a keeper. Roy described him as someone that can dominate and take over a game if he wants to. He is starting to get there giving us consistent 5-10 minutes of domination a game. Sooner or later this will be 1.5 to two quarters. You do not give this guy for someone that duplicate what we have in LaMarcus, cost a lot and has tapped into all of his potential.


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## Baracuda (Jan 10, 2007)

This trade would be a no brainer if LMA wasn't on the roster.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

I find it interesting that people are saying that Gasol would compete with Roy for "who's the best Blazer" when analysts on TV were saying that Gasol would become only the 4th best Laker (behind Kobe, Odom, and Bynum). Considering Roy is an All-Star (and Odom and Bynum are not), who's being overvalued here? 

As for the debate between Outlaw and Gasol - I would have done that deal without thinking a year ago. But now, with the way Travis has shown he can score on just about anyone in the league, can play solid defense, and can get to the foul line, while playing either forward position, I don't think the Blazers would want to swap that (and his potential for more), for Gasol, who has already peaked.


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## sportsnut1975 (Jul 6, 2006)

I don't think KP would have wanted him because of his contract. Three years is to long and KP wants lots of money for Chris Paul or other big name FA's


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

MAS RipCity said:


> I highly doubt we offered that, and if we did shame on KP...Outlaw is a better overall player, flat out. More clutch, more versatile, more heart.You don't trade guys who have Trav's talents who actually like coming off of then bench. If this really was offered, I no longer have faith in kp...yikes, ugly trade.




Oh come on D, there's no way Travis is better. He's playing good right now, but he's not a all-star caliber big man, much rarer than a wing player like TO. Gasol plays defense and averages 1+ block every year. If the trade was Outlaw + picks + contract filler, we're idiots not to do it unless we have some specific plans on how to use our potential cap space.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

Public Defender said:


> I find it interesting that people are saying that Gasol would compete with Roy for "who's the best Blazer" when analysts on TV were saying that Gasol would become only the 4th best Laker (behind Kobe, Odom, and Bynum). Considering Roy is an All-Star (and Odom and Bynum are not), who's being overvalued here?
> 
> As for the debate between Outlaw and Gasol - I would have done that deal without thinking a year ago. But now, with the way Travis has shown he can score on just about anyone in the league, can play solid defense, and can get to the foul line, while playing either forward position, I don't think the Blazers would want to swap that (and his potential for more), for Gasol, who has already peaked.


That's cause people on TV are idiots...like the Jon Barry trade the 1st pick comment. Gasol is the second best player on the Lakers. Odom is good but is VERY inconsistent, and Bynum is too young and who knows how he'll respond after injury. Make it very clear that Gasol is the second best player...if he were in the East he would have made the all-star team over the likes of Joe Johnson.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

What do I know though... TO is valuable and special. He can score on just about anyone and doesn't mind being a great 6th man...that's pretty valuable. But in terms of overall talent, Gasol is the better player hands down. Not necessarily the best fit for the team, but in terms of Best player (like who would you build a franchise around) Gasol is good.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

Perfection said:


> That's cause people on TV are idiots...like the Jon Barry trade the 1st pick comment.


The Barry quote elicited jeers immediately from the other, more intelligent people on the telecast. Sure, TV folks tend to exaggerate for effect, but they're paid to do what they do not just because it's entertaining, but also because they know more about what's going on than the average fan. 

Honestly, I think you're overvaluing Gasol a little here. Why is Memphis so god-awful this year, despite having "All-Star" Gasol, Mike Miller, and Rudy Gay? It's because Gasol is a poor defender (other than the occasional shot-block and his decent rebounding), and he doesn't consistently give the effort the Grizz need, and he doesn't take over games. Miller's not what he used to be either, and Gay is still learning, I'll admit. 

The bottom line for me is that while Gasol puts up decent numbers, at this stage, there's no way I'd build a team around him, as you suggested. I wouldn't build a team around Outlaw, either, but for what each brings to the table (Outlaw: athleticism, versatility, shooting range, defense, hustle, potential, not to mention low cost; Gasol: post scoring, intelligence, shot-blocking, rebounding, whining about calls, lazy defense, high cost), I'd lean toward making Outlaw a key piece of the puzzle (starting SF or a backup SF/PF), and I'd shop elsewhere for a starting PF.


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## Resume (Jul 17, 2007)

We don't need Gasol. We need Harris.

It would just be another logjam at PF that we don't need.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

It's hilarious how, a week ago, no one cared about Devin Harris. Now, the conversation is radically different. "Harris is available? Let's get him! He will cure what ails us! We need Harris! now!"

I'm not saying I'm for or against bringing in Harris (because that would depend on who goes out), but I just think it's funny that the "Harris to Portland" bandwagon is overflowing at this point.


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## crowTrobot (Jun 24, 2005)

outlaw is a lot better value for the money :worthy:


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

wastro said:


> It's hilarious how, a week ago, no one cared about Devin Harris. Now, the conversation is radically different. "Harris is available? Let's get him! He will cure what ails us! We need Harris! now!"
> 
> I'm not saying I'm for or against bringing in Harris (because that would depend on who goes out), but I just think it's funny that the "Harris to Portland" bandwagon is overflowing at this point.


I doubt anyone thought he would be available given that Dallas just extended him.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Perfection said:


> Oh come on D, there's no way Travis is better. He's playing good right now, but he's not a all-star caliber big man, much rarer than a wing player like TO. Gasol plays defense and averages 1+ block every year. If the trade was Outlaw + picks + contract filler, we're idiots not to do it unless we have some specific plans on how to use our potential cap space.


Pau plays little to no D. I remember Z-Bo just owning him night in and night out. LMA played well against him this year too..I can only image what Oden will do to him. He is soft and is a whiner. Honestly..if trav got as much PT as Pau, the numbers would be close. I honestly believe Trav is a better player...the 4 game winners/tied shots prove he is no fluke. If we got Pau we'd be in the same situation as this summer..with Zach LMA and Greg..who sits???? I don't care if Trav isn't all-star caliber right now, you don't need 4-5 all-stars on a team and that is what some fans need to see. We have our big 3 future all-stars, we need role players around them..and Trav fits the bill, plus he's clutch.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

MAS RipCity said:


> Honestly..if trav got as much PT as Pau, the numbers would be close. I honestly believe Trav is a better player...


Let's not go too crazy here. Pau is soft and overpaid, but he's a better player by most measures than TO. That's not to say TO can't overtake him at some point in the near future though.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

Outlaw is becoming quite a folk hero on this board. It's great that he's finally showing something, after being seen as disappointing for years. I think, however, emotion is clouding the issue. Outlaw has never approached Gasol's level, not even in this, his finest, year. He still has upside left, but he also has to prove he can consolidate these gains before it becomes a good idea to _bet_ on greater production levels (on a per-minute basis).

Trading Outlaw and a liability in LaFrentz for Gasol would have been a very nice trade...for Portland and Memphis. Memphis gets a cheaper player with upside who better fits the window of Gay and Conley. Gasol would have been a hedge, for us, against Oden not fulfilling his expectations or one of Oden or Aldridge missing significant time to injury. If Oden and Aldridge both turned out to be great and healthy, Gasol becomes a useful trading chip to find a small forward.

I wish Portland could have pried Gasol away (not letting him go to LA would have been a nice side benefit too).


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

The addition of Pau Gasol will give the Los Angeles Lakers the tallest front line the NBA has ever seen the Los Angeles Times reported. When Andrew Bynum returns, their front line will go 7-0, 7-0 and 6-11. 

Of course, one of them has to guard small forwards.

This one is breathtaking even for Jerry Buss, who has long set the market when he wanted a player. With Gasol getting $49.4 million the next three seasons and Bynum's extension projected to kick in in 2009, the Lakers will go far over the luxury tax threshold, and this deal could cost $80 million in salary and tax over three years.

That's how they got Gasol. No one else would step up.
Source: Los Angeles Times


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

MAS RipCity said:


> Pau plays little to no D. I remember Z-Bo just owning him night in and night out. LMA played well against him this year too..I can only image what Oden will do to him. He is soft and is a whiner. Honestly..if trav got as much PT as Pau, the numbers would be close. I honestly believe Trav is a better player...the 4 game winners/tied shots prove he is no fluke. *If we got Pau we'd be in the same situation as this summer..with Zach LMA and Greg..who sits???? I don't care if Trav isn't all-star caliber right now, you don't need 4-5 all-stars on a team and that is what some fans need to see. We have our big 3 future all-stars, we need role players around them..and Trav fits the bill, plus he's clutch.*


I don't disagree with the idea that Outlaw is probably a better fit for the team given LMA and Oden already claiming the big man spots, BUT, that doesn't mean he's not a better player. There's a reason it would have been Pau for Outlaw + Picks. Pau is MORE VALUABLE, but I don't know if he'd be the best fit for the team. I'm sure finances played a major impact on this, but from talent level, the comparison is not realistic.


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## HispanicCausinPanic (Jul 2, 2005)

Now that the Lakers have a REAL low post threat, Kobe might actually get easier shots.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

Maybe we should have offered LaMarcus and LaFrentz straight up for Gasol. Gasol is better than LaMarcus and is still young. I'd say LaMarcus' ceiling is like a Pau Gasol, and he may never even get there(most players don't).


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

I think LaMarcus has a higher ceiling than Gasol. Mainly because of his work ethic.


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## andalusian (Jun 29, 2006)

TLo said:


> I think LaMarcus has a higher ceiling than Gasol. Mainly because of his work ethic.


LaMarcus also plays defense.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

Yega1979 said:


> Maybe we should have offered LaMarcus and LaFrentz straight up for Gasol. Gasol is better than LaMarcus and is still young. I'd say LaMarcus' ceiling is like a Pau Gasol, and he may never even get there(most players don't).


I don't know - just on paper, Aldridge isn't that far behind Gasol: 17.2 ppg vs. 18.9 ppg for Gasol, 7.2 rebounds for Aldridge vs. 8.8 for Gasol, 1.2 blocks vs. 1.4 bpg for Gasol, 49% field goal percentage vs. 50% for Gasol, 76% FT for Aldridge vs. 82% for Gasol... 

Those numbers don't take into account that Aldridge is a better man-to-man defender already at this point in his career, he's five years younger than Pau, and he costs a whole lot less. No way I'd trade Aldridge for Gasol at this point. They're comparable, but Gasol is at his peak and will decline before long, while Aldridge - barring injury - should get better the next few years (while the Blazers prepare for their future successes).


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

A Gasol for Aldridge trade is very stupid for both teams. LA needs the better player for the next 5 years to help Kobe, the Blazers need a player to peak with Roy and Oden years from now. This would be a bad trade for both teams, a real lose lose deal. If Gasol was currently a Blazer and LA was in LA then the opposite deal of trading the two would make sense.


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