PHOENIX -- After a frustrating 102-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday in a game where the Los Angeles Lakers trailed by as many as 27 points before dropping the game and their road record to a paltry 5-11, the elephant that's been lingering in the team's locker room ever since the vetoed Chris Paul trade was finally addressed by Kobe Bryant.

Either trade Pau Gasol, or don't, Bryant said. But make a decision either way and make it fast.

"Basketball is such an emotional game, you got to be able to have all of yourself in the game and invested in the game. We didn't have that," Bryant said after Gasol had 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Suns. "Pau, it's hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and all this other stuff, it's hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he's hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him."

Bryant made it clear that he prefers that the Lakers choose to not trade Gasol, the four-time All-Star with whom Bryant paired to win consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010.

"I talked to [Gasol] a little bit about it," Bryant said. "It's just tough for a player to give his all when you don't know if you're going to be here tomorrow. I'd rather them not trade him at all. If they're going to do something, I wish they would just [expletive] do it. If they're not going to do it, come out and say you're not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out, he can play and he can invest all of himself into the game."

Just as Bryant wants Gasol to remain in L.A., Gasol said he wants to remain a Laker.

"So, we got March 15th, the [trade] deadline," Gasol said as he made his way to the team bus after the game when reporters caught up to him to pass along Bryant's remarks. "That's what I'm thinking [about]. Hopefully we get to that day [without a trade]. Obviously if something was told to me before, it would be good, but I'm not trying to force things. I'm not trying to force a team, 'If they want to trade me, trade me tomorrow.' Because obviously I still believe in our team, I believe in our city and I believe that we can continue to be a special, special team and a successful team."

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told SI.com over the weekend that a major move involving the Lakers' roster was unlikely.

"Of course we'll talk to a lot of teams [about trades], like everybody else does, leading up until the trade deadline to see if there is a way to improve the team," Kupchak said in the SI.com report. "But the likelihood is that this is the team that's going to finish into the playoffs. That's just the way it normally works, but we'll see."