The two biggest names on the NBA free agent market right now are LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Once both of these superstars make their decisions, Pau Gasol will arguably be the next best player available with plenty of interest in his services.
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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Gasol continues to receive interest from numerous title contenders:
Spurs staying diligent on free agent Pau Gasol, but Bulls and Thunder — with Lakers lurking — lead the way, sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2014
Although Oklahoma City is still in the running for Gasol’s services, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that the Thunder may be a long shot to sign the veteran forward/center:
League source tells me the Thunder, once confident they had a legit chance at Pau, now consider it a long shot to land Gasol
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 8, 2014
With the Carmelo sweepstakes still underway, Gasol’s fate likely won’t be known until the superstar agrees to sign with either the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks. None of the teams mentioned have been ruled out in terms of having a shot at signing Carmelo, but the consensus as of right now is that the Lakers and Knicks are the frontrunners.
It’d be safe to assume that once Carmelo has made his decision that Gasol will make his choice soon after. Gasol hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to Los Angeles with reports surfacing that he’d re-sign with the team if the Lakers land Carmelo in free agency, but if the superstar forward chooses to go elsewhere, expect the Spaniard to do the same.
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