While Pau Gasol is attempting to close the door on his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak and company have a different idea. The veteran forward is preparing to become a free agent this offseason and with the Lakers season ending earlier than expected, Gasol has plenty of time to mull his future while Los Angeles has time to formulate their sales pitch for his return, something is apparently a top priority.
Recently, Gasol spoke with ESPNLosAngeles.com and sounded like a man headed for the open market with no intentions of looking back. The forward spoke about his potential of returning to the Purple and Gold, simply saying it was "unlikely." Now Gasol followed that up with "But, I want to" which could be interpreted multiple ways considering he still has a couple games left with the team.
So while Gasol is saying he is not likely to be back, Kupchak has a different idea. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles has a lot of interest in trying to re-sign Gasol in the offseason. Kupchak is confident they can convince the veteran to re-join and play with Kobe Bryant for his final two seasons.
Gasol's future with the Lakers will come down to two things, money and Mike D'Antoni. The forward will be coming off a three-year, $57 million contract, but will not make close to that in his next deal. The Lakers cannot offer Gasol another salary of $19.3 million in one season. With Bryant, Steve Nash, Kent Bazemore and Xavier Henry the only players returning for the Lakers, will it be worth it to Gasol?
D'Antoni is the other looming factor. According to LakerNation.com, if the head coach returns, something that may actually happen, Gasol will not. It is no secret the two have had their differences throughout the season as the forward is not a fan of D'Antoni's offensive system. Since keeping the coach makes the most sense financially, it may cost the Lakers their long-time forward. According to Gasol, he must look at the total picture.
"I think there's chances," Gasol said, via the Los Angeles Times. "It depends what the conditions are going to be, and then I'll decide what's best. At this point in my career, I just have to be picky, put my personal feelings aside and look at the whole picture."
With Gasol on the possible outs, Luol Deng could be in. The Lakers have had lingering interest in the forward for some time now and with free agency approaching, Deng could be out on the West Coast sooner rather than later. Deng has very little interest in returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers after finishing out the season with the team and is expected to be the top target for the Lakers if both Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are not available. Again, this signing will come down to money considering Deng was traded from the Chicago Bulls for the same thing.
