Trade talks have been swirling around the Los Angeles Lakers as their struggles get worse and their shot at making the playoffs begins to fade away.

Pau Gasol has been at the center of these conversations, as the team is probably already committed to keeping Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant; and what would you be able to get for Steve Nash at this point?

According to Yahoo Sports, the 7-foot big man expects to be gone before the end of the season. Nevertheless, D’Antoni has taken away minutes from Gasol, leaving him upset and privately expecting to be traded before the February deadline for an athletic forward who fits his coaching designs.

Keep in mind, the team has previously agreed to trade Gasol when they tried to acquire Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets. Of course, the deal got overturned by David Stern, and Pau remained a Laker.

A few names have been thrown around, but you have to think there are more issues than just Pau Gasol on this team. People believe Josh Smith could be a good fit as a power forward who could bring some extra athleticism to a team that is looking pretty old.

Duncan Steel | Elite.