Marc Gasol to the Spurs?
We’re barely 10 games into the 2014-15 NBA season and ALREADY people are talking about the free agency of 2015. While it may feature some big names in guys like Jimmy Butler, LaMarcus Aldridge, Goran Dragic, Reggie Jackson, Amar’e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith and Deandre Jordan, the biggest name to hit the free agency market will be Memphis Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol.
Gasol has recently been talked about going to the Knicks, according to reports, Gasol may not be only targeted by the Knicks, but by a team in the San Antonio Spurs looking to continue their winning ways if future Hall of Famer, Tim Duncan, is to retire.
More from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The Knicks’ main free-agent target, Marc Gasol, is also being targeted as a possible replacement to Tim Duncan assuming Ol’ Man Riverwalk retires this summer. The Knicks will be players for the Memphis center mainly because of the first three rules of real estate — location, location, location — and because Gasol is familiar with both Jackson and Derek Fisher since older brother Pau spent the best years of his career with the Lakers.
Otherwise, staying in Memphis will be appealing to Gasol, whose team is a legitimate championship contender. The Grizzlies can offer Gasol the most money, and he has grown to love the city, having lived there since high school when Pau broke in with the Grizzlies.
Coincidently, Pau considered the Spurs this past summer but took more money to join the Chicago Bulls, much to Jackson’s chagrin. When Pau signed, Jackson tweeted a photo of lightning striking the city of Chicago. He might end up tossing his iPhone in the East River if Marc signs with the Spurs, arguably the best run franchise in all of pro sports. They also have the nucleus to remain a contender for years to come.
Granted, the validity of all this and how accurate Gasol would consider all these factors can not be measured, unless you talk to Gasol himself. But there may not be a better choice in the summer of 2015 if Duncan is to retire then the most skilled big man that will hit the free agency market in Marc Gasol.
