NBA Trade Rumors 2014: Los Angeles Lakers Could Trade Pau Gasol to Cleveland Cavaliers for Anderson Varejao

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to aggressively shop Pau Gasol in the coming weeks, and they will reportedly attempt to revive trade talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said on Saturday. 

The Lakers and Cavaliers were in deep talks about a potential trade involving Gasol and then-Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum last month before negotiations fell apart, leading to a Luol Deng-for-Bynum swap between the Cavs and the Chicago Bulls.

NBA analyst Sam Amico of Fox Sports recently revealed that Lakers asked about the availability of Anderson Varejao during negotiations, but the Cavs expressed no interest in trading the do-it-all power forward.

However, it should be noted that Chris Grant, who was recently fired as general manager of the Cavaliers, was the one who turned down the offer.

Basketball Insiders noted that now that Grant has been fired, the Lakers are expected to revisit talks with the Cavaliers about a possible trade involving Gasol and Varejao.

Previous reports indicated that the Lakers were not willing to add players with longterm contracts, as they are looking to make a big free agency splash this summer or in 2015, but sources said that the Lakers are highly interested in Varejao, who could eventually become their main option at the center position moving forward.

"The Lakers have been trying to avoiding adding long-term money, the team will potentially have a void to fill at center during the offseason and Varejao is a decent option provided he remains healthy," Basketball Insiders reported. 

Varejao is averaging 8.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per game this season. His health could be considered a red flag, but it should be noted that the 31-year-old center has already played in 48 games this season.

On the other hand, Gasol is expected to provide an additional veteran presence to Cleveland, and could play a crucial role if the Cavaliers manage to sneak into the playoffs this season. Gasol's experience could also stabilize the rocky situation inside the Cavaliers' locker room.

The 13-year-veteran will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. This could discourage teams from trading for Gasol, but the Cavaliers are reportedly amenable to a half-season rental. If Gasol decides to sign elsewhere in the offseason, it would give the Cavaliers more cap space to make a run at a big-name free agent this summer.