Pau Gasol is in demand and he is hoping that equals out to a nice contract in the coming weeks. There has been a run on versatile big men so far in free agency and Gasol is one of the better players on the open market. He has plenty of teams interested despite his veteran status as they plan on fighting over him while other players get signed.
Marcin Gortat was the first center off the board. As expected, he re-signed with the Washington Wizards to the tune of five years and $60 million. Most NBA sources expected Gortat to remain with the Wizards, noting the team could simply not afford to let the center go. He was a big reason Washington had such a successful run this year. However, teams were certainly showing interest in Gortat meaning they are now left looking for a backup plan. In comes Gasol.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Miami Heat have contracted Gasol about a free agency visit. The Heat were originally interested in Gortat to pair with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but since he is off the market, Gasol is now in the conversation.
Certainly the Heat have what Gasol wants. They are an established franchise with championship history and will likely continue that in the coming seasons. They have a solid roster assuming at least a portion of the Big Three return next season. The issue would be money. ESPN.com reports the Heat are telling teams they only have around $12 million to spend, again assuming the Big Three come back. Gasol is demanding around $9-$10 million on the market and he simply will not get that in South Beach. A pay cut would be required.
The Los Angeles Lakers remain hopeful they can bring Gasol back since Gortat is off the board and trade talk with Greg Monroe is dead along with Omer Asik. ESPNLosAngeles.com reports Gasol met with the Lakers for almost two hours on Tuesday and they feel good about their chances. The issue is that Gasol wants a championship in the final years of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers likely are not that team at least for next season.
Gasol is also expected to meet with the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns in the near future. If the New York Knicks have their way, Phil Jackson will also be getting a meeting with his former player.