Free agency is a very dangerous time in the world of sports. Players put their future on the line for promises that have yet to be fulfilled and potential glory that is not certain to be achieved.
On occasion, a player is willing to risk their pending financial reward for brilliance to join a championship contender with cap space.
Two-time NBA champion and four-time All-Star Pau Gasol could be the next player to make the sacrificial decision.
Despite being in line for upwards of $10 million per season, Gasol is looking at teams with minimal financial flexibility. This may not be the most financially rewarding endeavor, but it’d give Gasol the chance to solidify his Hall of Fame legacy.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, the early front-runner is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not many people saw that coming.
OKC clearly has a lot to offer with the tantalizing combination of reigning MVP Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder also have one of Gasol’s teammates from the Spanish national basketball team in Serge Ibaka.
As a team that’s been in desperate need of a low-post weapon for the better part of a half-decade, Gasol would be a dream acquisition for Sam Presti’s club.
Just don’t call this a foregone conclusion.
Whether Gasol ends up in Oklahoma City or not, the Spaniard will weigh all options. There are the big money cities and there are championship contenders, and then there’s an international haven.
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs are also on Gasol’s radar.
Gasol and Tim Duncan working together along the low and high posts should be illegal. Tiago Splitter’s passing and defense being thrown in should make it a maximum security prison offense.
Tossing in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs creates basketball fantasies beyond explanation.
Regardless of where he ends up, Gasol will have a chance to win. He’s still an extremely productive player who is as polished an offensive big man as you’ll find in the NBA.
The question is, will he take a short-term pay cut to pursue championship gold? Or will another contender come along to pay him top dollar?
We’re soon to find out.
Kyle Lowry Stays in Toronto
For all that’s been made about potential changes in the NBA, we seem to be forgetting that a strong percentage of high-profile free agents stay with their original teams. If they didn’t, players like LeBron James wouldn’t generate so many headlines for leaving (potentially again).
Kyle Lowry, a unanimously labeled All-Star snub in 2013-14, settled in and signed a four-year contract with the Toronto Raptors worth $48 million.
It’s about time.
Lowry, for all of his polarizing emotion on the court, is one of the most well-rounded point guards in the league. He’s a top tier defender, a dangerous scorer and a quality facilitator who can knock down the 3-ball.
For the fist time in his career, he also has job security.
In eight seasons in the league, Lowry has played for three separate teams. He’s spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, but has never felt more at home than with the latter.
Toronto committed to him as their franchise point guard and catalyst. Lowry has committed to the same role by signing this contract.
The Raptors aren’t going to trade him during a breakout season like the Rockets. The Raptors aren’t going to cap his minutes like the Grizzlies.
The Raptors are going to continue giving Lowry the ball. They’ll continue to tell him to run with it and lead one of the most promising teams in the association.
The best point guard on the market has re-signed. That leaves Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, both restricted free agents, as the next two chips to fall at the position.
Both Bledsoe and Thomas will command relatively hefty salaries, with the former potentially receiving a max contract. The issue is, the incumbent Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings can match any offer to their respective guards.
Lowry was the unrestricted free agent who could sign anywhere he wanted. Rather than helping a team such as the Miami Heat get over the edge, he returned to a team that’s known more for losing free agents than it is re-signing them.
In what’s often labeled as a point guard driven league, Lowry’s signing means that teams without the proper lead guard will be forced to look to a different breed of contributors. A lesser caliber, in many ways, once Bledsoe and Thomas make their decisions.
By, “Their decisions,” of course, I meant to say, “Tell their current organization what they want and then let that team decide where they end up.
Slippery slope. Just ask Eric Gordon.
The defending Atlantic Division champions have every reason to be thrilled by Lowry re-signing. The rest of the guard-hungry teams in the league do not.
PG seems to be the only position where the dominos are already falling.
Lowry signed. Mills, struck by injury at the worst time, has to take a deal paying less per year than Ben Gordon (!!) and stays with the Spurs. Phoenix will do whatever it takes to keep Bledsoe. Thomas is still a wildcard, though.
After him, who’s next, Jameer Nelson and Mario Chalmers? Will any team take Jennings off Detroit’s hands?
I think the only likely contender without a contracted starting calibre PG is Miami, right? Unless they decide to go into the season with Cole and Napier (gulp), it almost seems like their best option is going to be… re-signing Mario Chalmers (gulp x 2). Oh dear. They better hope Napier pans out.