When NBA front offices, players, and media all gather in one city, rumors are bound to start swirling. Every All-Star weekend, the rumor mill starts spinning at full speed, which is convenient considering the trade deadline soon follows. This weekend was no different, with the Lakers still in the middle of many rumors despite their struggles this season.
First and most public was Kobe Bryant’s press conference prior to the All-Star game itself Sunday night. He revealed that his recovery process was going very slowly and that he is still unsure of any sort of timetable for his return.
Kobe Bryant, just asked about his recovery: "It's coming slowly." Does not give a timetable for a return.
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) February 17, 2014
Moving on to Pau Gasol, the Lakers big man has been wrapped up in the middle of trade speculation for what feels like the 100th time since joining the Lakers. However, just like all previous trade talks involving Gasol and the Lakers, Sam Amico of Fox Sports reports that the Lakers likely won’t find a deal for the Spanish big man. That would leave the Lakers with an interesting conundrum this off-season, with Gasol publicly expressing his desire to stay in LA, and the Lakers quite publicly continuing to shop him.
Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant speaks during a press conference before the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of this summer and free agency, during his press conference, Bryant spoke out about recruiting free agents this summer, and how that’s NOT something he wants to do.
"“In all honesty, I don’t want it,” Bryant said, when asked if he expected to have more input in front office decisions this summer. “That’s what they do. I’m not a general manager. I don’t know about scouting players and doing things of that nature, so I’ll let them do their job. They have obviously done a phenomenal job at it for years, so I’m not going to jump in the way. All I ask is if something is going to go down, just let me know about it beforehand so I don’t hear about it on a ticker or something. But that’s about it.”"
With the trade deadline just a handful of days away, stay tuned for all the latest rumors and deals the Lakers will very likely be involved in!