Pau Gasol Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Gasol, Davis, Ariza

June 30th, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) says the Suns and Hawks will be interested in Pau Gasol. The Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, Mavs, and Rockets are also expected to pursue the Spaniard. There should be plenty of options out there for Gasol but Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter) hears that the Thunder are unlikely to be in the running. Here’s more from around the league..

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter) hears that MarShon Brooks is the only definitive Lakers free agent not returning. Everyone else has a chance to return depending on who else is available.
The feeling from NBA sources is that this free agency period could be “uneventful” for the Jazz outside of Gordon Hayward and Marvin Williams, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
The Clippers remain interested in re-signing Glen Davis and his reps have talked with the club, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
Wizards coach Randy Wittman and VP Ed Tapscott are slated to visit their free agent forward Trevor Ariza in his hometown of Los Angeles tomorrow, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
Meanwhile, Drew Gooden expects to re-sign with the Wizards on a minimum salary deal, a source tells Spears (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Al Harrington is one of the Wizards’ summer league coaches and still wants to play.
After extending a qualifying offer to Avery Bradley, Danny Ainge made it clear that the the guard “is a big part” of the Celtics‘ future, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle looks at the pitch that the Rockets plan on making to Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul.
Euroleague point guard Bo McCalebb is officially free agent, his agent Eric Fleisher told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). There is no buyout of any kind that needs to be addressed, David Pick of Eurobasket.com tweets.

Free Agent Rumors: Lowry, Gasol, Parsons, Ariza

June 30th, 2014 at 12:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is likely to make a strong push to re-sign Kyle Lowry just as free agency begins tonight to prevent the Heat and Rockets from having a chance to jump in, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Here’s more free agency chatter with 11 hours left to go until negotiations can begin:

Pau Gasol will meet with the Thunder, Bulls and Warriors, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, who suggests the big man hasn’t ruled out a meeting with Lakers brass, either.
Chandler Parsons would be on board with a sign-and-trade to the Wolves if the money is on the mark, a source close to Parsons tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Minnesota reportedly has interest in Parsons as a fallback trade target in a Kevin Love swap.
The Rockets, Mavs, Lakers, Clippers, Cavs, Raptors, Suns and Pistons are all suitors for Trevor Ariza, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders hears (Twitter link).
The Rockets and Mavs are gearing up to sign Jordan Hill, as are the Lakers, Hill’s incumbent team, Wojnarowski tweets.
The Magic are likely to make a play for Rodney Stuckey, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.
Kent Bazemore is anticipating interest from the Suns, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).
Matt Bonner is interested in a return to the Spurs, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News observes (Twitter link). “I’d love to be back, especially if everybody is coming back.”
Damian Lillard would like to see the Blazers go after Channing Frye, Vince Carter, Spencer Hawes and Ariza after re-signing Mo Williams, the point guard tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Carter would be open to signing with Portland, Haynes hears.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Gasol

June 28th, 2014 at 9:02pm CST by Cray Allred

Klay Thompson‘s father told Charley Walters of St. Paul Pioneer Press that the Warriors shooting guard would not object to being traded to the Wolves in a Kevin Love deal. “Klay’s attitude about it is very professional,” said Thompson’s father, Mychal. “He says if he’s traded, he’ll make the most of it and enjoy playing with Ricky [Rubio], and if he isn’t, he’s fine. Either way, he’s a pro and knows how to handle it.” Here’s a rundown of the latest in the Pacific Division:

Steph Curry joined Andre Iguodala in voicing his preference to keep Thompson in Golden State when asked about the Kevin Love trade discussions between the Warriors and Wolves. “As great as Kevin Love is, it would be very hard to see your teammates and your brothers leave at this time,” Curry told reporters including Diamong Leung of Bay Area News Group. “So we’ll see what happens, but it’d definitely be a tough situation.” Of course, Curry’s public support for Mark Jackson didn’t stop the team from cutting ties with their former coach, and Curry acknowledged a decision on Love was not his to make.
The Lakers remain open to re-signing Pau Gasol, and believe the former All-Star’s presence could aid the team in acquiring Carmelo Anthony this summer, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (video link) suggests the Mavs, Heat, and Lakers would all give the Knicks stiff competition if Gasol were willing to accept a discounted deal like the one Phil Jackson will reportedly offer the big man, and thinks there’s “no chance” Gasol signs in New York if Carmelo Anthony isn’t still there.

Knicks Confident About Re-Signing ‘Melo

June 28th, 2014 at 8:53am CST by Cray Allred

Sources tell Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com that the Knicks are “quietly confident” they will be able to re-sign Carmelo Anthony, in part due to the star forward’s growing bond with president Phil Jackson. ‘Melo will be chased by teams that appear closer to a championship than New York in free agency, but the Knicks are hoping that their recent trade with the Mavericks, which provided an upgrade at point guard with Jose Calderon, will make their roster more appealing to Anthony.

With head coach Derek Fisher and the newly acquired point guard Calderon, Jackson has put in place some of the pieces for his cherished triangle offense. If Anthony re-signs in New York, one of the biggest remaining gaps for the system would be a skilled big man. The ESPN scribes’ source says that Jackson is planning on pursuing Pau Gasol at a discounted rate to fill that need this summer, and the team has its eye on his brother Marc Gasol for the 2015/16 season, when the Grizzlies center will be a free agent. Currently, the most the Knicks could offer Pau would be the taxpayer’s mid-level exception of $3.278MM, a steep pay decrease from his $19.3MM salary in 2013/14.

This summer will be a highly intriguing one for the Knicks. The hiring of Jackson brought hope to a franchise that has bumbled away opportunities and flexibility for years. Knicks fans have been hoping the Zen Master could work his magic and turn the Knicks’ straw to gold. While a typical turnaround for a franchise as limited as New York requires some losing and patience to regain cap space and assets, Jackson would certainly increase his legend if he could jump start the turnaround in his first year as a front office executive.

Lakers Rumors: Bosh, Gasol, Hill

June 27th, 2014 at 3:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers drafted Kentucky power forward Julius Randle seventh overall Thursday and traded $1.8MM in cash to the Wizards for Missouri guard Jordan Clarkson, the No. 46 pick. That’s just the start of what promises to be a busy offseason for the purple-and-gold, who have plenty of cap flexibility and no head coach. Here’s the latest on the Lakers:

The Lakers dream of signing both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but if they can’t attract James, they’d next try to go for a pairing of Anthony and Chris Bosh, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
The presence of Randle doesn’t diminish the strong interest the Lakers have in re-signing Pau Gasol, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links).
Randle similarly won’t affect how fellow power forward Jordan Hill will view the Lakers in free agency this summer, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Whom the team hires as coach will have much greater influence on whether Hill re-signs, Deveney hears.

Mavs Plan To Pursue Pau Gasol

June 22nd, 2014 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Mark Cuban is nothing if not bold. The Mavs not only plan to make a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer but they also plan to sit down with free agent big man Pau Gasol, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

If Dallas was somehow able to lure both prized free agents, they would instantly have one of the most formidable frontcourts in the NBA with Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki (once he re-signs), and Gasol. To land both, however, the Mavs will have to do some serious work to find the sapce. And, of course, the Spaniard figures to draw plenty of interest once free agency officially kicks off on July 1st and he has his eye on a handful of clubs including the Bulls, Spurs, Lakers, and Grizzlies.

Gasol, who turns 34 on July 6th, averaged 17.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 31.4 minutes per contest across 60 games. While Gasol won’t rule out a Lakers return, a change of scenery from a club that has dangled him in trade talks for years might be beneficial. Then again, with coach Mike D’Antoni out of the picture, the veteran might be feeling better about L.A. than he was just a few months ago.

Pau Gasol Eyes Grizzlies, Bulls, Spurs, Lakers

May 9th, 2014 at 1:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol spoke of highly of the Grizzlies and hinted at interest at the Bulls and Spurs as well as a return to the Lakers in a Spanish-language video on Marca.com, as James Barrigan of the Los Angeles Times notes. The soon-to-be free agent big man said it’s difficult for him to envision signing with the Clippers, given their proximity to and rivalry with the Lakers, for whom Gasol has played the past six and a half seasons. Gasol nonetheless praised Clippers guard Chris Paul and said that he likes to play with the league’s best, naming LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in addition to Paul.

Gasol said in December that the Grizzlies would be an “appealing” option given the presence of his brother, Marc Gasol, and he reiterated those comments to Marca.com, also citing the strength of the Memphis team that won 50 games this past season. The Grizzlies want to first see what happens with Zach Randolph, who has a nearly $17MM player option, but they still seem to have designs on pursuing Pau Gasol, who turns 34 in the summer. The Bulls reportedly have interest, too, as do the Cavs and Bobcats. There have been no indications that the Spurs want to go after him, but they’d certainly fit Gasol’s desire to play for a winner, and Gasol praised the team and Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich in his latest remarks.

The Arn Tellem client has had a checkered relationship with the Lakers in recent months, recently saying the team would have to make major changes if he’s to re-sign. He seemed to soften his stance in the wake of the resignation of Mike D’Antoni, with whom he’d feuded. Gasol said this week that he still considered himself a Laker, though he said the absence of D’Antoni would not be the determining factor in his decision whether to leave the club in free agency.

Gasol said in the Marca video that he hopes the Lakers will make him an offer strong enough for him to consider. He’ll surely have to take a pay cut from this season’s salary, which exceeded $19MM, but he reportedly has a decent chance to receive an offer worth $10MM a year.

Lakers Rumors: Gasol, D’Antoni, Ollie

May 5th, 2014 at 10:03pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like Lakers fans hoping for a splashy coaching hire might just get their wish. Los Angeles brass reportedly wants to interview North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, who was on their wishlist ten years ago after Phil Jackson‘s first departure. The latest out of L.A..

Pau Gasol butted heads with Mike D’Antoni quite a bit over the last two years, but it sounds like the coach’s departure won’t guarantee his return to the Lakers. “Mike leaving was not the be-all and end-all, but it is another factor,” Gasol told Spanish site Marca.com (h/t to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News). “What is certain is that we are without a coach and I say ‘we’ because I’m still thinking of myself as a Lakers player.”
Contrary to what has been reported by some, Medina hears (on Twitter) that the Lakers have yet to contact Kevin Ollie and no meeting has been planned yet.
Medina runs down five qualities that the Lakers’ next head coach will need to have. First and foremost, the Lakers’ next coach will need to figure out how to bolster the club’s defense. There’s no question that defense took a backseat in L.A. during D’Antoni’s tenure. The Lakers ranked near the bottom in nearly every defensive category last season, including 29th in total team defense at 109.2 points allowed per game.

Lawrence On D’Antoni, Gasol, Calipari, Sterling

May 3rd, 2014 at 2:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

Mike D’Antoni walked away from the Lakers due in part because the team is likely to attempt to re-sign Pau Gasol this summer, reports Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. A source tells Lawrence that D’Antoni knew that Gasol and Kobe Bryant didn’t want to play for him, so he made the decision to resign from the team on Wednesday. Let’s have a look at some more interesting notes from Lawrence’s piece:

Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott are two of the most viable candidates for the Lakers’ coaching job, hears Lawrence. We reported on Thursday that both Rambis and Scott are set to interview with the team.
Despite rumored interest, Lawrence says there’s no chance John Calipari will become the next head coach for the Lakers. The team reportedly has “zero interest” in hiring Calipari.
Stan Van Gundy was contacted about taking over the head coaching role for the Pistons, but talks didn’t get far because he wanted some level of control over the team’s personnel decisions, writes Lawrence.
Lawrence hears that once Adam Silver meets with Donald Sterling, Silver is expected to tell Sterling that the league will battle him in court to see that the franchise is sold, no matter the resistance Sterling puts up.
Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston and director of player personnel Mark Warkentien aren’t worried about their jobs, since the duo has contracts with owner Jim Dolan and not the Knicks specifically, says Lawrence. As a result, the pair will be able to retain their positions, even if Phil Jackson doesn’t want them around.
The Cavs and Bucks still haven’t decided whether or not they’ll keep their general managers beyond this season, reveals Lawrence. Both Central Division teams failed to meet preseason expectations and finished well below .500.
It’s likely Mark Jackson will be fired by the Warriors, suggests Lawrence, who adds the coach might have a hard time landing another job with an NBA team because of the perceived dysfunction in Golden State’s organization during his tenure.
The Thunder could potentially see a first-round playoff exit tonight, but Lawrence says Scott Brooks‘ position is safe in Oklahoma City.

Bulls Likely To Attempt To Trade Carlos Boozer

April 30th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Chuck Myron

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf opposes the idea of using the amnesty provision to remove Carlos Boozer from the team’s books, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, adding that sources tell him that Chicago will make a strong push to trade Boozer instead. Boozer is set to enter the final year of his contract next season, but his $16.8MM salary and his growing anger at coach Tom Thibodeau seem to make him a poor fit for the Bulls, who have their eyes set on a free agent prize this summer.

The Knicks are “undeniably nervous” about the chances that Carmelo Anthony will sign with the team this summer, Stein writes. The ESPN.com scribe echoes last week’s report from Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that put the Bulls at the front of the list of Anthony’s preferred suitors. Chicago would have to move a significant amount of salary off its payroll to make a competitive offer to Anthony, since the Bulls’ commitments for 2014/15 already exceed even the new, higher salary cap projection for next season. Amnestying Boozer would be the simplest way to wipe a hefty chunk of money off Chicago’s cap figure, but unless a team claims him off waivers, Reinsdorf would still have to pay Boozer his salary, even though it wouldn’t count toward the cap. That’s why Deveney says there’s never been a question that the Bulls would prefer to trade Boozer (Twitter link).

The amnesty period runs through July 16th, giving the Bulls ample time to find a trade partner before the option of circling back and amnestying Boozer anyway disappears. Still, it will probably be difficult to find a team willing to make a trade that would give Chicago cap flexibility in return for a 32-year-old Boozer who rarely played in the fourth quarter this season, particularly given his inflated salary. He may have some value as an expiring contract, but any team that acquires him via trade would be unable to amnesty him. A sign-and-trade with the Knicks involving ‘Melo is one possibility, but Knicks president Phil Jackson might be reluctant to play along and accommodate Chicago’s poaching of New York’s star.

If the Bulls do amnesty Boozer, Stein suggests there’s a chance that agent Rob Pelinka, the rep for Boozer as well as Kobe Bryant, will encourage the Lakers to submit an amnesty waiver claim. That would almost certainly be a partial waiver claim if it were to happen, meaning the Lakers would pay a portion of Boozer’s salary while Reinsdorf would be on the hook for the rest. Stein points to Chicago’s likely pursuit of Pau Gasol this summer, and perhaps there’s a sign-and-trade possibility to be had involving Gasol and Boozer, though that’s just my speculation.