Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

There isn’t a move that can be made at this point to salvage this lost season for the Los Angeles Lakers. About the only one that might have made any sort of impact would have been the re-hiring of Phil Jackson. But Jim Buss crapped that bed with his midnight drunk dial of Mike D’Antoni.

None the less there is still a sliver of hope that this team can sneak into the postseason so naturally as the trade deadline approaches the rumors begin to spread.

According to a report in the Sacramento Bee the Kings are looking to unload combo guard Tyreke Evans with the Lakers supposedly being among the interested parties. The report also states that the Memphis Grizzlies could be weighing options for the future of Rudy Gay. Supposedly Memphis has already been fielding calls and the Lakers are among those showing interest.

Naturally there are the logical questions of why and how.

With regards to the why neither Evans nor Gay will do much to turn the tide this year. Of course since this franchise is looking at an uncertain future it would make sense to start thinking long term. Gay and Evans are both entering the peak of their careers and both could be part of some team’s future.

That brings us to the how.

What the Lakers can offer for either player is limited. Memphis is looking to shed salary so shipping Pau Gasol back to where it all began might not make much sense unless the Grizzlies are looking for an expiring contract after next season. As for Evans, there really isn’t an attractive offer out there for Mitch Kupchak to make. Besides, Evans has a knee issue that should come with an Andrew Bynum warning label.

Then there is Jim Buss claiming there won’t be any moves made before the deadline. Of course he said the same thing this offseason before acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard so who really knows what the thinking is around the organization these days?

May 4, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol during game one against the Denver Nuggets of the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

That’s why you can understand why Pau Gasol sounds so unsure of his future in purple and gold. The Spaniard has been the target of constant trade rumor for two years running and that’s not going to slow down anytime soon. Not with the Lakers looking to add more than just a past-his-prime point guard to a roster that still clings to delusional championship hopes.

Gasol, like everyman that’s paid to play for the best franchise in basketball must be, is hungry for another ring. He’d love to help and add another banner to the Staples Center collection but he knows that’s not promised and told the L.A. Times as much.

“We all know by now that there are no guarantees in this business. I want to win another ring and I cannot see any other place better than the Lakers, and LA, my city, to do so.”

As recently as the eve of the NBA Draft there were rumors of the Atlanta Hawks offering Josh Smith for Pau and the T-Wolves looking to package Derrick Williams as part of a potential Gasol trade. Then there is the never ending Dwight Howard saga that had Gasol going anywhere from Houston to Orlando.

During the season Kobe Bryant become so irritated with all the Gasol speculation that he demanded the front office to either handle their business or get off the pot.

For now Pau is a Laker. That could change in a matter of hours or it could remain that way for the rest of his playing days. Neither would be a surprise. After all, Gasol already has been traded once by the Lakers only to be forced back thanks to the iron fist of David Stern. So truthfully no scenario is surprising anymore.