seems like I make this thread every year...

http://www.hoopsworld.com/los-angeles-lakers-team-salary

assuming Dwight resigns for the max, the combined salaries for Kobe, Dwight, Pau, Nash, Steve Blake, and Jordan Hill will be around 88 million. reports say that Metta has been told that if he doesn't opt out he'll be amnestied so I'm not really counting the 7.7 mil he's owed. team option for Meeks is only 1.5 mil so we'll probably keep him, and I think they want to bring Earl Clark back, he'll be another 3-4 mil. so we'll be at 93-94 million in team salary just for 8 players. and obviously that number will rise as we fill out the rest of the roster....having a $100 mil team salary or close to is fine if you're a championship contender, not okay when you're a 7 seed or you can't get past the 2nd round. So I don't see how it makes sense financially or personnel-wise for us to keep Pau and his 19 mil.

what's his true trade value? it's an interesting debate, I think had he not gotten hurt last year he could have been moved at the deadline. he can still play at a high level and I'm sure plenty of teams would love to have a skilled big like him, I think a lot of teams would want him at center. but 19 mil is a lot to pay and would teams part with their young and promising (and cheap) talent for him? it also helps that his deal is expiring.

the issue is unless it's for young players with cap friendly deals, the lakers wouldn't want to take back any long term contracts because they'll wanna have as much cap space available for the summer of 2014, and a lot of the teams interested in Pau would be teams looking to send away bad contracts.

anyway here are some of the teams that I think would be interested in trading for him...

Minnesota
Chicago
Philly
Golden State
Boston?
Houston?

darkhorse - OKC? getting Gasol would give them a legit inside game and would make amnestying Perk an easy decision.