Report: Marc Gasol Had 1 Major Problem With Lakers

Earlier in September, the Los Angeles Lakers got rid of Marc Gasol and he had one problem with the Lakers franchise. General Manager Rob Pelinka brought him last offseason, hoping to see great performance from the Spanish native. It didn’t work. Gasol didn’t perform well and this has something to do with Andre Drummond.

That’s the only problem Gasol had last season. Drummond’s arrival affected his game and Frank Vogel opted for the big man instead of the Spanish native. It was a bad move for him and things went down the hill.

Report: Marc Gasol never got over Lakers demoting him for Andre Drummond https://t.co/3Bmw5uiCPv

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) September 13, 2021

Marc Gasol didn’t overcome his problem with the Lakers

NBA analysts covered the story, and pretty much everyone agrees on the Drummond issue.

“I don’t know,” Bill Oram said of Gasol’s situation in LA. “Maybe, just maybe, this is a lesson that you shouldn’t always chase the shiny new thing. Marc Gasol is a floor-spacing big the Lakers could use in lineups with Russell Westbrook. As a team source said during the recent standoff with Gasol, “’He could really help us.’”

“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 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.

“The Lakers were 24-11 with Gasol as the starter before Drummond’s arrival. Not saying he was perfect last year, or that he would have had the same impact this season, but it’s not ideal to have to use a draft pick to shed the salary of a guy you signed last season especially when that guy pencils out as a logical fit on your current team.”

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

… 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

The Lakers were 24-11 with Gasol as the starter before Drummond's arrival. Not saying he was perfect last year, or that he would have had the same impact this season, but it's not ideal to have to use a draft pick to shed the salary of a guy you signed last season…

— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 10, 2021

Gasol had to go

The Lakers traded Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies and Drummond is out too. The Grizzlies will waive Gasol and he will probably go to Spain and suit up for Basquet Girona. NBA insider Marc Stein shared the information right after the trade. Some thought Marc would join forces with his older brother, Pau, at Barcelona. Marc played for Girona before he joined the NBA. It was a different team back then. Gasol was also the 2008 MVP of his country’s ACB.