Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Pau Gasol was a bit of a forgotten man this season.
Although the Charlotte Hornets (then-Bobcats) and Phoenix Suns reportedly make inquiries into Gasol at the trade deadline, he was largely ignored as he battled injuries and the Lakers posted a record of 27-55, sixth-worst in the NBA. That allowed Gasol to quietly have another good season despite supposedly not getting along with Mike D’Antoni, believing he was a bad fit for the offense they were running.
Now, Gasol is an unrestricted free agent and he has gone on the record saying he wants to play for a contender.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los angeles, Gasol did not have any in-person meetings, but is taking calls from teams. He will likely be waiting until after Miami Heat forward LeBron James and New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony make their decisions and the market takes better shape. Shelburne reports the Lakers as well as the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors made calls to Gasol Tuesday morning.
No in person meetings for Pau Gasol tonight. Taking calls from LA. Market for him will take shape over first week as Melo/LBJ make choices
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2014
Oh, and Lakers of course reached out to Pau tonight
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2014
First calls into Pau Gasol tonight came from Lakers, Bulls, Mavs and Warriors
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2014
Gasol averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds 3.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per game last season. He shot 48.0% from the field, 28.6% from beyond the arc and 73.6% from the free throw line.
