MEMPHIS (NBA) - The NBA’s trade deadline came and went on Thursday without a deal being done for Pau Gasol, but the Spain international could still be on his way come the summer.

Grizzlies president Jerry West had agreed to Gasol’s request - made last month - to seek a trade before the deadline.

But West was never going to sell his 7ft All-Star on the cheap, and despite endless speculation about a deal with the Chicago Bulls, Gasol stayed where he was.

Gasol, 26, had asked for the trade after growing frustrated with the Grizzlies’ inability to compete at the top level, saying he wanted to join a contender.

Ultimately, Gasol was not surprised to remain in Tennessee as the deadline passed, but he said he remains concerned about the team’s future.

"Obviously, the direction of the franchise is important, and it's the most important thing right now," he said in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

"When it gets to the end of the year, and it's all said and done, let's see where this franchise stands. There is going to be a lot of areas that's going to have to be taken care of. We'll see in a few months."

The Grizzlies were hampered from the start of the campaign by the absence of Gasol, who broke his foot playing for Spain at the FIBA World Championship in Japan - a fact that did not stop his country from collecting gold.

But even when Gasol returned, things did not improve all that much for Memphis, who lie bottom of the Southwest Division with a 14-42, second only to the Boston Celtics for the worst in the NBA.

That at least puts Memphis in line for a lottery pick in the NBA draft - one that looks to be well-stocked with talent if star underclassmen like Ohio State’s Greg Oden make themselves available.

However, Gasol does not sound convinced that will make the difference.

"Young, talented players will help you. I don't know how much of an impact you can have right away no matter how good you are," he said.

"Go back and look at the history of other young stars and what was their impact the first couple of years? What was the big difference?

“Everybody goes through a process of learning and adjusting to a new league, no matter who you are. It takes them time, and it takes a team time to get to the potential."

Throughout the negotiations, the Grizzlies’ most likely trade partner had been the Chicago Bulls, but ultimately the Windy City team refused to part with Great Britain international Luol Deng.

Memphis had wanted Deng alongside PJ Brown and one of the Bulls’ rookies.

Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson admitted he couldn’t pull the trigger on any deal involving Deng.

Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Paxson described Deng as crucial to what the Bulls were trying to do.

He related a phonecall he had with team director of player personnel Gar Forman, who had asked him to guess which player had trained alone throughout his All-Star break.

"I didn't have to guess because I knew it'd be Luol," Paxson said.

"I don't think I would ever make a basketball decision based just on that because I have to make my team better and you can't fall in love with your players.

"But one of the things in this business is changing the culture of your team around, and that can be difficult to do. We've been able to do that, and Luol is a big reason why.

"I know [Gasol] would fill a need," Paxson added. "But Lu at 21 has an upside that I would like to see through.

“His skill level will get better. I've said from Day One, whatever his potential is he's going to reach it because he's so conscientious."

Deng admitted he was relieved to be staying in Chicago.

"Of course it makes you feel good," the forward said.

"It's a good feeling that the Bulls believe that strongly in me. I'm glad I'm still here. This is where I want to be."

All of which leaves Gasol still waiting on his trade and the chance to play for a contender.

Asked if he will reconsider his future this summer, Gasol said: “Yes. Absolutely.

"I'm going to focus on playing the rest of the year and see how that goes. After that, we're going to analyze the situation when it's time to analyze it."

Ian Parker
FIBA