Earlier today it was reported that Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni would permanently bench Pau Gasol in favor of Earl Clark in an attempt to get faster and smaller. The move has obvious implications on Gasol's long term future with the team, but Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski has tweeted that the Lakers refuse to take back long-term money in Gasol's place, complicating things.
With the luxury tax, they don't want to tie up a chunk of their salary cap in Bryant, Howard, and another player two years from now. So, should the Lakers move Gasol before the deadline, even if they aren't able to get back anything close to equal talent? With another year on his contract, Gasol would be making $19.2MM as a bench player next year.