Traded last week at the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol will be cut to join Spain. The pivot no longer wanted to play for the Lakers, and it was a choice of Frank Vogel that could have precipitated this divorce.
After a shy little campaign in the Lakers jersey, Marc Gasol will never wear this tunic again in the future. The pivot has left the franchise, he who was traded to the Grizzlies. An economical choice for Los Angeles, which will keep a little more money than expected in the deal. But above all, the departure of Gasol seemed inevitable.
With Dwight Howard and the recent arrival of DeAndre Jordan, it seemed clear that the Spaniard was no longer welcome. But whose fault is it? According to some sources, it’s good the former member of the Raptors who would have indirectly provoked this exchange. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter, especially since a new rumor is emerging.
NBC Sports reporter Dan Feldman says Gasol would not have supported the signing of Andre Drummond last season. The person had already carried out an interview last year, explaining that he did not really understand this choice. Unsurprisingly, the newcomer took minutes from the competition, causing some tension.
Journalist Bill Oram, of The Athletic, takes it further on Twitter:
This can only be looked at as a consequence of the Andre Drummond signing. Promising him Gasol’s starting job and essentially demoting Gasol to third string created a rift that could not be resolved, despite Marc saying all the right things publicly in the immediate aftermath…
— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 10, 2021
This can be seen as the consequence of the signing of Andre Drummond. Promising Gasol a starter position and then demoting him to a third role created tensions that could not be resolved. And this despite what Marc has said publicly …
Gasol had come in the shoes of a starter in Los Angeles. In the end, he waxed the bench more often with Montrezl Harrell, all with the arrival of Drummond. The latter had been very criticized at the time, and it is clear that Internet users were completely right. For the front office, this is a huge failure:
… and this summer in Tokyo. So, not only did signing Drummond make the Lakers worse on the court last season, it also poisoned the relationship with a player who could have been useful for the team they’ve built this season.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 10, 2021
Not only did Drummond’s signing make the team even worse, it also poisoned a relationship with a player that could have been useful for the team built during this season.
Total failure for the Lakers in this case, as the franchise had a 24-11 record with the Spaniard. Everything was not perfect, but it was already much better than after the signing of Andre Drummond, which turned into a fiasco. A bad transaction, which will leave a bitter taste to the fans.
