The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to new deals with key contributors Boris Diaw and Patty Mills, and now they're looking to add more. San Antonio has been mentioned as a suitor for Pau Gasol, and they're making a serious push to acquire him:
Spurs ‘persistent’ in pursuit of Pau Gasol, per report
The Spurs are making a push to sign Gasol, but the financials are a bit tight.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Spurs persistence on Pau Gasol keeping them a serious contender, inching closer to the Bulls, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 10, 2014 The Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat are three other contenders in serious pursuit of Gasol. The Los Angeles Lakers remain an option as well, but it seems unlikely Gasol re-signs there unless Carmelo Anthony surprises everybody and heads to Los Angeles. The New York Knicks would like to keep Anthony and then add Gasol; however, the Knicks have little money to offer.
So could the rich really get richer in San Antonio?
Why this makes sense
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The Spurs are known for their superb ball movement, and Gasol would only improve that. The Spaniard is one of the best passing bigs in the game, and having him work out of the high post would make San Antonio’s already lethal offense even more dangerous.
Gasol is also still a rather potent scorer, as he put up 17.4 points per game on 48.0 percent shooting last year. He's not as efficient as he once was, but he's a much bigger offensive threat than Tiago Splitter.
Why this doesn’t make sense
The Spurs can only offer the $5.305 mid-level exception unless there’s a sign-and-trade, and it’s unclear if Gasol would be willing to take that kind of contract. The Bulls could potentially open up cap space and offer Gasol more outright, or they could look at sign-and-trade scenarios as well. The Lakers will have a lot of cap space to throw at Gasol as well if Anthony doesn’t come, but the 34-year-old prefers to sign on with a contender.
On the court, there are some concerns about the defensive fit. Gasol has slipped considerably on that end, and while he’s a much better offensive player than Splitter, the big Brazilian is the superior defender. In addition to that, there are major questions about Gasol’s health going forward.
Likelihood
The fit seems pretty great, but the money might not be enough. The Bulls are making a strong push as well, so I’m giving this a 3/10 chance of happening.
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