Report: Marc Gasol won’t be signing with the Knicks this summer

The Grizzlies center is set to become a free agent this offseason and has enjoyed a breakout season.

The New York Knickerbockers fans have experienced a trying season viewing their team. But the lone candle in the darkness for this team is the possibility of acquiring Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol when he becomes a free agent this summer.

Well, that courtship is dead, according to a source with avian informants.

From Chris Sheridan at SheridanHoops.com:

"“… a little birdie who knows of what he speaks tells me Gasol has already ruled out playing for the New York Knicks. It’s nothing personal with Phil Jackson or that consummate New Yorker, Jim Dolan (gag). It’s a matter of money. He can get a five-year deal to stay in Memphis, where he attended high school. After taxes that will be worth more than twice what he would get from New York.”"

Thank you, Lord Varys. The high council fears and appreciates your intricate network of spies.

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This season, Marc Gasol has enjoyed a stellar campaign, averaging over 18 points and 8 rebounds per game with a PER of 22.29 (11th in the league and 2nd among centers behind Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins). His Grizzlies sit at 44-17, good for 2nd in the West, and they are among the handful of likely championship contenders led by their suffocating defense and dominant interior play.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have the NBA’s worst record at 12-48, and barring a major free agent signing have no prospects for improvement in the immediate future.

Sheridan believes that Gasol will stay in Memphis, and it is easy to agree.

But with the NBA regular season winding down to a close in the next month and a half, the Grizzlies are pushing for a solid position in what will be a competitive Western Conference Playoffs all across the board. The Houston Rockets are hounding the Grizzlies in the standings, and all five teams in the Southwest have legitimate title hopes. Gasol’s thoughts are likely no where near concerned with joining any other team in the offseason, let alone a cellar-dwelling sad sack like New York.

For the Knicks, they probably won’t be able to rely on their history or large market appeal to lure free agents into the lethal spiderweb of Madison Square Garden. This offseason’s potential high profile free agents are in good scenarios, so it will be an uphill climb for the Knicks to sign an impact player this season.

They may need to rely less on impact players and more on building a solid (or at least not laughable) rotation.

[H/T: SheridanHoops.com]

The Grizzlies center is set to become a free agent this offseason and has enjoyed a breakout season.

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