Pau Gasol rivals Rajon Rondo as the NBA Trade Rumors champion. Ever since he was actually traded, he has never left the rumor mill. The Lakers have their last chance to trade him, but is Kobe Bryant the reason he stays?

Kobe Bryant has always respected Pau Gasol. He even wrote a foreword on the Spaniard's book. They have also been active on each other's projects. It is not a surprise that the Black Mamba would vouch for him.

Kobe is possibly the most influential athlete to his team, with Tim Duncan as the only arguable exception. Since Timmy does not play the ego card as much as Bryant, we never hear about his demands, if any, on the team. Not so with Kobe.

It is alleged from a report that the Lakers 'promised' to keep Pau, or at least, have the capacity to retain him. From David Aldridge's nba.com column:  "..with Bryant coming back from the broken bone in his leg before the end of the season, and beginning that $48 million extension next season, the Lakers have to pay heed to their franchise player's desires. And he desires to continue playing with Gasol, who helped Bryant win rings in 2009 and '10.

When Bryant's extension was announced, Bryant made it crystal clear he'd been told by Lakers management that not only would the team be able to re-sign Gasol this summer despite Bryant's huge numbers, but also be able to add an impact free agent. The Suns don't have anyone that would be considered impact on their roster (unless the Lakers are somehow able to pry Eric Bledsoe or Goran Dragic from Phoenix -- highly unlikely)."

While it was not specified that the Lakers should absolutely keep Gasol, Bryant was totally against trading Pau for a money dump. That is probably why the Bynum trade fell, and the strict demand for a first-round pick from Phoenix.

The Lakers will likely end up with Pau becoming an unrestricted free agent, and not getting that first round pick. The teams desperate for cap space (Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks) are the same teams without picks to offer.

If Pau will take a discount, he might as well stay and re-sign with the Lakers. However, if Pau gets a good offer, there is no reason why he would say no-not even Kobe Bryant.