NBA Rumors: Marc Gasol unlikely to stay with LA Lakers at the start of next season

The LA Lakers continue to make moves in the 2021 NBA offseason, with NBA rumors suggesting Marc Gasol is unlikely to start the new season with them.

These reports have emerged in the wake of the Lakers reportedly signing DeAndre Jordan. The 33-year-old needs to clear waivers to sign a one-year $2.6 million deal with the side. Gasol, on the other hand, still has one year left on his LA Lakers contract.

The Spaniard joined the 2020 NBA champions last season but had an underwhelming campaign, averaging five points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. The LA Lakers even had to sign Andre Drummond mid-season because of Gasol's poor outings for the team.

According to Brett Siegel of the NBA Analysis Network, sources have said that it is "very likely" that the LA Lakers will start next season without Marc Gasol.

With the Los Angeles Lakers getting ready to sign DeAndre Jordan when he clears waivers, it seems “very likely” that Marc Gasol will not begin the season with the Lakers, a source tells @HoopAnalysisNet. Gasol has one year and roughly $2.7M remaining on his contract.

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) September 4, 2021

Gasol previously said he would like to come back and play in the final year of his contract to help the LA Lakers win a championship. But that doesn't seem to be the case, and the impending signing of DeAndre Jordan only makes it more apparent that Gasol could be set to depart.

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NBA Rumors: Is DeAndre Jordan a better option than Marc Gasol for the LA Lakers?

DeAndre Jordan is expected to sign with LA Lakers as per NBA Rumors.

The LA Lakers seem to be running their scheme from the 2019-20 season this season with their options at the five. They will have two athletic bigs in the rotation in Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, similar to the Howard-JaVale McGee combo they had during their championship-winning season.

However, should either Howard or Jordan start, the LA Lakers will have a lot of problems spacing the floor. Both bigs play in the post and would log jam the paint area for the likes of Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis to drive to the rim.

Moreover, Jordan has clearly lost his defensive edge and isn't the kind of rim-protector he was during his younger days when he played for the LA Clippers. Gasol, on the other hand, is a decent three-point shooter and would have offered the Lakers the kind of spacing they would have needed on offense.

Nonetheless, NBA rumors suggest Anthony Davis could be interested in playing as the starting center, which could eliminate the spacing issue for the team. Jordan's on-court fit is questionable, but his experience could come in handy for the Lakers moving forward.

Lakers signed DeAndre Jordan to sit at the end of the bench or possibly play 10min max a game (Gasol insurance) you can't be mad at that imo pic.twitter.com/OnnzdBAXTL

— David Portillo (@D_Portillo_0) September 3, 2021

On top of that, he could be of great help to the LA Lakers if they meet their cross-conference rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, in the NBA Finals next season. Jordan played for the New York-based franchise last season, but fell out of the rotation after failing to create the kind of impact he was expected to have on the defensive end.