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Jim Buss Kills Lakers Trade Rumor Ideas

By | June 20, 2012|

The trade speculation surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the NBA off-season is a hot button topic with numerous trade scenarios circulating around the league involving Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Both players have been on the hot seat in Los Angeles over the past few years with superstars Dwight Howard and Chris Paul becoming available via trade.

The consensus as of right now is that Gasol will be the one big-name player on the Lakers traded to another team before next season. One trade target that the Lakers have been rumored to be interested in is elite point guard Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets.

Williams is set to become a free agent if he opts out of the final year of his contract with the Nets. If this happens, the Lakers have been labeled a possible destination for the perennial All-Star in a sign-and-trade that would almost certainly involve Gasol in exchange. The Dallas Mavericks are another likely destination with Williams being at the top of their free agent wish list.

Even though the trade rumors in Los Angeles continue to create a lot of buzz and excitement for next season, Lakers Executive Jim Buss made it clear that the team won’t be pursuing any blockbuster trades in the off-season in an interview with T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times:

No major free-agent signings, no blockbuster trades?

“No,” he says.

Buss also commented about a potential Gasol trade and a change that will be made in order to get the Spanish forward back to form next season:

So you don’t agree with those who say the Lakers must turn Gasol into two or three players via a trade?

“No,” he says. “I think changes are going to be made moving Pau lower to the basket. We can improve that way with a change in coaching strategy rather than a change in personnel.”

At this point in time, the Lakers are going to stand pat with the current roster without any substantial moves being made before heading into the 2012-13 NBA season. Whether or not this stance by Buss and the Lakers’ front office stays this way over the next four months or so remains to be seen.

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With seemingly endless trade rumors involving Gasol and potentially Bynum, it’s hard to believe Buss about the Lakers keeping the team intact. After making an attempt at a blockbuster trade for Chris Paul back in December, it seems as though anything is possible and that “no” may very well mean “yes” in the coming months in terms of making substantial moves.

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About the author

Ryan Ward

Ryan is a senior writer for Lakers Nation and Examiner.com with an undying passion writing about the Los Angeles Lakers. Follow Ryan on Twitter: @Lakers_Examiner

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  • Fernandezmig14

    change in coaching strategy? phil jackson? hope so :)

    • DanielKocur

      If I was lookin for a coatching I’d talk to Phil then Larry brown then great popavige the finally doc rivers And get Dwight and a point guard to save the best Francis’s of all time cause Kobe got about 3 years and I don’t like anything Ella about this team the clips about to be the new team in la if they don’t do something fast

  • AnthonY MusiQ

    coaching “strategy” homie, not change of coach…

  • Fiffanmje

    Smart for him to not admit to seeking out trades. If he officially declared Pau on the trading block, his value goes down for other teams knowing they’re trying to get rid of him. The goal is to maximize what he can get in return.

    If the team stays in tact, they’ll be out in second round yet another year, unfortunately.

  • Kmac_321

    Fire Jim Buss!!! that’s the only move they need to do in the offseason!

    • DanielKocur

      All he’s done with la and you want him out wow you must like the clips he just needs to bring in Howard to get the best center in the game I don’t know if he had wilt but he had Jabari shaq it only could equal a ring a nice point hairs be nice like Nash or willams from sixers willams can’t get him and Howard be nice though

  • Breland

    Jim buss is a joke. Mitch Kupchack is a puppet. Can’t they see the game has change? Just watch the finals. Which team has that one or two dominant big man that is taking over the game or even have a big impact? The answer is NONE. All you see in the finals is youth, speed and superstars. Andrew Bynum nor Dwight Howard is not the answer, they will never be what Shaq was to the team. Not even close. Dwight has no post game and Drew can’t get his lazy ass up and down the court plus he only plays hard when he wants too. The Lakers need to go all out to get D-Will. Offer Bynum and S/T Sessions for D-Will and Lopez. Then you can either keep Gasol or trade him for Josh Smith and Marvin Williams. What ever Kobe prefers? If they can sign Andre Miller for vets minimum, they need to trade Blake or use their amnesty on him. Trading for Beasley will be the ideal choice, if that happens, then use their amnesty on World Peace.
    PG: D-Will / A. Miller / Gudelock
    SG: K.Bryant / D. Ebanks
    SF: M. Williams / M. Beasley / M. Barnes
    PF: J.Smith / J. McRoberts / L. Odom ( in December)
    C: Lopez / J. Hill

    I feel this line-up will matchup very well against the likes of the Thunder and Heat. We will have the mixture you need with speed, youth and talent. Not to mention a productive bench, a real point guard and the best closer the game have ever seen since Michael Jordan.

    • ArealisticLALfan

       Dude, there’s no frickin’ way we’re getting Williams! The only way we’re getting him is through a trade but as of now, Buss recently said that he’s giving Gasol another chance and move him to a 3rd scoring option.  We might as well get rid of half the bench and work on it some more. Do any of you are aware that Jim Buss is probably reading these bullshit trade rumors right now and picked the right time to strike? We might as well see how this offseason’s gonna work out this summer.

    • Ronaldmtchll

      I wonder about people who call pro ballplayers LAZY!

    • DanielKocur

      Your nuts Howard some people don’t like him but you have to respect his game top 5 player in nba best defender can’t shout so what a two is a two know matter what he scores 20 a night and what do most teams that are good do attack the basket you can’t do that to Dwight a Paul or Dwight and Bynum dang get real

  • Breland

    Jim Buss should take his ass back to Horse Racing. He knows nothing about Basketball. Jeanie should have been the one to take over the Lakers. Mitch Kupchack is overrated and should be replaced byJerry West. West brought in Shaq and made the trade for Kobe. They say Kupchack got Gasol, but I feel Gasol was a gift from Jerry West when West went over to the Grizzles. Once a Laker always a Laker, he bleeds purple and gold. No other GM would give the lakers Gasol for Kwame Brown.
    I understand Kupchack doesn’t have the freedom Jerry West had to pull off major trades because of Jim Buss. And any big trade or blockbuster trade will include Bynum in order to get a superstar in return and we all know how much Jim Buss loves Andrew Bynum. Unless they can get lucky and have a team give up their superstar and take Gasol and his contract in return. But I doubt that, so we will probably be stuck with Bynums balls in Jim’s mouth.
    Kupchack on the other hand has the freedom to make all the small trades, free agent signings and contract extensions. Something I really thinks he sucks at and is why I don’t like him as our GM. He gave Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton ridiculous contracts. He thought Steve Blake would be our starting point guard and now we are stuck with his stupid contract. He signed J. McRoberts, J. kapono and T. Murphy last off season and none of them was even in the rotation when it mattered. Those are all bad decisions if you ask me. You cant just sign guys just to sign them. A good GM has good vision and Mitch Kupchack doesn’t have good vision. Jerry West has good vision, so bring him back. If not him, bring in Magic Johnson, I’m confident Magic Johnson can run this show the way it suppose runned. NUFF SAID!!!!!!!

    • Margarite

      Dude they need to hire you to run the Lakers. You seem to have all the answers! I will write to Dr.,Buss and recommend you for the job to get the Lakers back in order!

  • MagicJohnson32

    Give Gasol another chance? he is getting older his numbers are dropping and his trade value is getting lower as the years go one and his salary is increasing!!!! what Is Jim Buss thinking Thunder will have a free pass to the finals for at least the next 5 years if the Lakers dont make a Blockbuster move NOW!!!

    • ArealisticLALfan

       The thing is, how can they? They don’t have good trading blocks.

    • king jaffy

      Please explain to me how Gasol’s numbers are dropping if he’s averaging 17ppg and 11rpg playing away from the basket when he should be down low in the block where he’s the most effective…kinda like he wuz before mike brown came along.

  • Ronaldmtchll

    You can’t fire the owners son. Who would you replace him with ? You can bet your life that anything Jim Buss do that he has his fathers blessing and approval.  

    • Salome7

      i want to make it clear to everyone even though many will laugh at me but i think okc and miami just stole the NBA championship from the lakers this year,and here are my reasons why
      if you take the players from both the teams and compare them with the five openers of the lakers the lakers are much better on paper but what happened in the court is a very different story and there is where the problem was but no one was smart enough to see it
      all the trade talk og gasol and going head to head with bynum and other players in the team was the reason the lakers were a failure and of course the bench
      the finals between the okc and miami has proved it 100 percent that all the talks of young legs and young players will do the job is just not true what has been proved is that players like chalmers and battier can do the difference
      where is okc today?where is okc today with young players and young legs?
      brains is more important than legs and that the Boston Celtics have proved too
      so i would leave gasol; and bynum and kobe and meta world peace and make changes with the bench players and change the coaching system
      i have been saying for quite a while we need a bench that can score 20 to 25 points a game and the rest leave it to the guys who have got to championship rings to do the job

      • DanielKocur

        Better than miam I love Kobe s a little better scorer than Bron doesn’t pass ass good rebound ass good don’t block like Bron d wade is just as good as Kobe right now I’d take bosh over Bynum or Paul anyday la don’t have a point guard better than moans back up and okc really your fen nuts

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/XLNDLD6SNL2LTD7NUD332CX4JE Polito

    I’m giving Jim this off season to prove he knows what he’s doing. So far I wish Jeanie took control; we’d still Have Odom and would’ve gotten a better deal for Fish. Now we lost both, plus our drafts, and Sessions just opted out. Thank god we kept Brown though! FML. Kupchack, feel free to say something…. Actually don’t, you’re to blame for all this as well.

    If this is a plot to get more, then well done. If not, then Dr. Buss sell the team to someone who actually cares; we know you do and we love you for it. However, your son on the other hand isn’t making the best decisions for your legacy. Jim you want to pass the torch to Bynum?? How long has he been in the league aleady? How is he acting? Get him out of here and get D12. Sit him down and kick his arse into gear to add more banners. In the mean time, go Clipps.

    • Terryd1000

      You are a Moron especially if you think we need to keep Odumb moron. Odumb disappears time after time. this guy was never consistent. Fisher wouldn’t take a backup role with the Lakers even though he does with OKC. These moves were good ones, just because you worship Odumb doesn’t mean he’s good, because he ISN’T

  • http://coachdesignz.wordpress.com/ Jay Dayuday

    “No,” he says. “I think changes are going to be made moving Pau lower to the basket. We can improve that way with a change in coaching strategy rather than a change in personnel.” – Jim Buss
    Good Job Jim! 
    It’s just as I thought and I recently read Phil’s comments on LN.

    You and Phil may not get along that well, but as a Lakers fan, I’m happy that you agree with Phil on getting Pau involved more in the paint.

  • red

    As a long time Laker fan i just think this idea of jim bust is making sense…i have said it always in all of the online converstation that brown must change his rotation. Gasol must be coming off the bench as center with J Hill barnes goudelock & blake. Put mcbob as a starter in lieu of gasol so bynum can operate inside w/ much space. Mcbob will add speed & hustle. In this way bench now will be deeper and gasol can play his usual game with freedom & focus in scoring with Hill helping on the boards. What the lakers needs to add is an athletic defensive SF who can defend LBJ & durant & w/ 3 point shooting skills and also an athletic defensive PG who can match up w/ westbrook.  

    • DanielKocur

      Ya a small forward like a josh smith is the best besides lj and kd and get Dwight and a point gaur I like loo Williams

  • Simco86

    Picture this: the okc series, But Lakers have better
    shooters on this open 3′s instead of sessions Blake and mwp. 

    Same outcome?

    Just to say that even if we can’t get the
    blockbuster deal, maybe we just need some players how can actually sink open
    3pt looks.

  • Drjohnthompson

    Dwight Howard + Kobe = DOMINATION

  • Lake Fan

    Jim Buss is smoking something, or born without any thing between his eyes. he’s a total joke. If I were Kobe, I would demand a trade, like his did a few years ago. If the Lakers do not trade one their bigs, they will NEVER win the ring again. Kobe will have 5 rings, and no more. Jim is running the Lakers right in the ground. As long as he is running the team, the Lakers will never, never win a ring again. He’s a spoild rich mans kid. After Kobe leaves, and I would think at this point in time, he should, and if he request a trade, or retire, the with way Jim is running the team, they will be in last place.

    I have been a Lake fan since 1967, and I can tell you, Jim is the biggest joke in the NBA. Jerry Buss, PLEASE take back your team. Fire your son…..If you do not want to run the team, put Jenny Buss in charge, she is way smarter then Jim.

  • Sti1lmatic

    Jim Buss is just a spoiled spoiled guy that was given too much power thanks to his Daddy.
    How can you say no trades but just moving Pau under the basket? Pau is a headless chicken under the basket.
    Did this guy not watch Denvers “F” list big men pound this guy under the basket? or OKCs Ibaka(a non-all star calibur player)
    beat him under the basket?

    Jim Buss you can go to hell.

  • Oliver from Germany

    Oh my god. Now is he coaching the team or the coach????
    On the pic he’s sitting between the best GM (after good, old, loved Jerry West) in the league and his father, the owner of the successfulled franchise in the last 40 years. Perhaps he should ask someone. Or he should ask Phil or Magic. Everyone has the opinion to make big changes, only our gold guy still loves the two big men. The lakers need to be more athletic? Which player not named Kobe can call himself as athletic????????? Ah, now I know, Jim himself. He’ll play forward and perhaps PG as a replacement for the market tester RS, who is a personal disappointment with his move.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_U5LDL2LVJ72N4UNS5UMIDBR3JY NerfMaster

    Why wouldn’t the Nets agree to a sign and trade for Gasol or Bynum?  Williams is going to walk anyway, so why not get something in return.

    • DanielKocur

      If you give up a big man for a point guard I don’t like that move the should go after the best big man in the game

  • DanielKocur

    Bust is weird if he really feels this way Bynum 11 points 7bords for his carrara howard 17 points 12bords I like the Idia of Paul and Howard down low with Kobe but the need a point guard and Steve Nash is still a great passer get him and then you have three supper stars and two nice pices in world peace and Nash can you say champs

  • DanielKocur

    The lakers have a rep to keep up get Dwight a point guard and try to bring in Larry brown 2nd best coatching next to Phil

  • DanielKocur

    Bust this is one of the deepest drafts free agents and people wanting traded Mabey in the history so don’t tell me your gonna give this city to the clippers when alls you gota do is pick up that phone call Orlando get Dwight who said he wants to play with Kobe and low willams and josh smith we would be sayin miam who

  • reallakersfan

    wow and all you guys call yourself lakers fan so what we didnt make the finals we still did a lot then some other teams . when the team lose all you so called lakers fan point the finger at your own team ? blaming everyone ?…..yeah some fans yall are 

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