The Chicago Bulls are looking at ways they can finally get over the hump in an Eastern Conference that’s not hard to win, and part of that means going out and doing something the team has rarely done externally in the past — spend money.
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According to Marc Stein from ESPN.com, the Bulls are remaining focused on Carmelo Anthony but will be flying out to Los Angeles tomorrow to sit down and meet with free agent power forward Pau Gasol to see if he’d be interested in joining up with the team next season.
ESPN has learned, meanwhile, that Bulls officials are headed to LA on Thursday for sitdown with their top target after Melo: Pau Gasol
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2014
Stein also mentions that the Bulls, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, have emerged as a top destination for Gasol.
Bulls and Thunder have emerged as two new top-flight teams in the hunt for Gasol, who has predictably been drawing considerable interest
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2014
The Bulls are going all-in on Carmelo Anthony but it’s believed that Pau Gasol is a Plan B for many teams looking at trying to make a run at Melo. The Lakers have Gasol and Chris Bosh as backup plans if they lose out on Melo and the Bulls clearly have interest in Gasol if they’re flying to meet him in Los Angeles.
It could be possible for the Bulls to get Gasol and Melo both, but at the very least they’re making sure all their ducks are in a row in case someone comes along and starts messing with their master plans.