On Thursday, talks between the Cavs and Lakers stalled according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com:
Talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers over a trade involving Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum have stalled, sources told ESPN.com.
The deal is not dead but it is no longer progressing. The Cavs, who have until Jan. 7 to trade Bynum before his contract becomes guaranteed and loses its instant value in a trade, are now actively seeking other options.
At this point in time, the writing seems to be on the wall in Los Angeles that Gasol will be sent elsewhere before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 20. The Lakers organization may have been unclear about Gasol’s trade status over the past few months, but now it simply seems as if it’ll be a matter of time before he’s dealt.
In his return from an upper respiratory infection on Tuesday night, Gasol shot poorly hitting 9-of-23 from the floor, but finished with 25 points, four blocks and six rebounds in 36 minutes.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers and Cavs can come to an agreement before the Jan. 7 deadline to trade Bynum. Both sides appear eager to get a deal done, but the Lakers want to receive assets in return rather than simply saving $20 million as a result of waiving Bynum.
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