According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Pau Gasol will meet with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, and the Golden State Warriors. Gasol mentioned he wants to play for a title contender this offseason but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of coming back and playing for the Lakers.
Gasol made over $9 million last year. As he ages, his new contract will be much lower than it would have been in previous years, and if he wants to go somewhere to grab another NBA championship, expect him to be quite willing to take a steep pay cut. Gasol averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds last season. Gasol started off slow but started picking up late in the season. Gasol is getting older and has some injury problems in the recent years.
The Thunder, Warriors, and Bulls are some of the possible destinations, as mentioned before. OKC and GSW will be limited on what they offer Pau because both teams are set to be over the salary cap. Gasol would be a reasonable upgrade in the frontcourt for the Thunder, as they could amnesty Kendrick Perkins. As for the Warriors, he can maybe be an option if Kevin Love isn’t acquired.
Chicago is set to have significant cap space if they miss out on big names in costless agency and in Carmelo Anthony. Another team interested in Gasol might be the New York Knicks because of Gasol's relationship with the Knicks team president Phil Jackson. The lesson is, there are many teams seeking that elusive final piece for a title run, and Pau Gasol is simply going to be a name that will continue to pop up as that piece.
