Four-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol had a tough decision to make heading into free agency for the first time in his NBA career. The two-time NBA champion made it clear that he wanted to sign with a title contender in order to give the Spaniard another shot at winning another title in the twilight of his career.
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With superstar Carmelo Anthony on the fence about his decision in free agency, Gasol was left in limbo in terms of which team would be the best option for him. If Carmelo signed with the Lakers, Gasol would’ve more than likely stay in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Carmelo decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks and therefore help dictate Gasol’s decision. The perennial All-Star ultimately decided Chicago was his best option and said the following about his choice in free agency, according to ESPN:
Gasol said Tuesday that, after speaking with Bulls players Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, “instinct told me to pick Chicago.”
At this point in time, the Lakers only have a few players under contract or committed to sign with the team. Jordan Hill and Nick Young have agreed to return, but outside of those two veterans, the Lakers will only have Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Robert Sacre, Jeremy Lin, and Julius Randle under contract.
With the Lakers unable to sign big names this summer, the team will look to pursue more superstars aggressively like Kevin Love in 2015 and Kevin Durant 2016. While the team signed Hill and Young and have traded for Lin, they were able to regain cap flexibility through the next two seasons.
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