Take that, Dwight Howard.
Of the many, many mysteries and questions that exist between Kobe Bryant and his previous and current Los Angeles Lakers teammates, the bond shared by Pau Gasol and himself is not one of them. The two are friends. Close friends. From what they’ve both said about each other over the last year or so, they’re the type of friends that may get together, arm themselves with bowls of popcorn and bags of chips and watch reruns of Clarissa Explains It All from dawn ’til dusk. Or something like that.
A friendship so strong is bound to factor into Gasol’s free agency decision, right? The big man hits the open market this summer, at which point he could leave the team and sidekick he won two championships alongside. Or he could stay. But the latter has seemed like a long shot for a while now. Gasol didn’t appear happy for much of this season, and the Lakers have other plans. He’s good as gone—unless he isn’t.
Never underestimate the power of befriending Bryant.
In a post on his official website, Gasol wrote that he would return to the Lakers for Kobe, provided significant changes were made (transcription comes courtesy of theLos Angeles Daily News‘ Mark Medina):
Re-signing for the Lakers is a possibility, but I’m not sure whether to say it’s a remote one. If there’s anything or anyone who could make me stay it’s Kobe Bryant. I’d stay for him, but there’d have to be significant changes. I’ve said it many times: I want to be in a team that has a solid chance to win another tournament and where I can be an important factor in the game.
Well isn’t that sweet. And cute. And curious.
Whether Gasol stays or not, the Lakers don’t figure to be true championship contenders next season. Not unless they make a big free-agency splash, which it doesn’t seem like they’ll do. They appear more interested in summer 2015 when Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, possibly LeBron James and many others become available.
If they were planning to stage a free-agency coup this offseason, though, it likely wouldn’t be able to include Gasol. They must renounce his rights to enjoy a large chunk of their impending cap space, lest his $19-plus million salary from this season count against their books.
To stay in Los Angeles Gasol would have to accept a major pay cut, otherwise it’s not worth it to the Lakers. He’s unlikely to take a one-year deal and if the Lakers want to maintain cap space for 2015 or even this summer, they can’t pay him anything close to market value.
Is Gasol willing to accept that kind of dip in salary? Does Kobe mean that much to him? Those questions could be moot if the Lakers don’t get rid of Mike D’Antoni and/or don’t have any interest in bringing back Gasol at all.
Stick around, folks. It’s going to be a turbid summer in Lakerland.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
