The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly inching closer to signing free-agent power forward Pau Gasol, a reliable league source disclosed on Friday.
The Spurs' persistence is paying off, as they have re-emerged as a major contender in signing Gasol - the most-sought big man in the free-agency market this offseason.
According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Spurs are now in the ballgame along with the Bulls with regards to acquiring Gasol off the market.
"Spurs persistence on Pau Gasol keeping them a serious contender, inching closer to the Bulls, league sources tell Yahoo," Wojnarowski posted on his Twitter account.
Gasol, who averaged 17.4 points on 48 percent shooting last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, has gained interest from multiple teams since the start of the free-agency period.
Aside from the Bulls and the Spurs, the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and the Lakers have all tried to contact the skillful Spanish big man.
"The Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat are three other contenders in serious pursuit of Gasol. The Los Angeles Lakers remain an option as well, but it seems unlikely Gasol re-signs there unless Carmelo Anthony surprises everybody and heads to Los Angeles," SB Nation reported on Thursday.
"The New York Knicks would like to keep Anthony and then add Gasol; however, the Knicks have little money to offer."
Gasol in Spurs Uniform Making Sense
Spurs will become a much more potent offensive team, if they are successful in landing Gasol this offseason. Despite his decline in numbers in the past two seasons, the 7-foot Spaniard remains one of the best post-up scorers in the game.
A Spurs team that features Gasol and Tim Duncan upfront would give opposing teams all sorts of problems on the defensive end. However, unlike Thiago Splitter, Gasol isn't a solid defender down-low.
Of course, head coach Greg Popovich can easily fix Gasol's defensive woes by incorporating into him the same defensive philosophy that made the Spurs an unstoppable force in their latest championship campaign.
Then again, the Spurs can only offer Gasol a $5.305 million mid-level exception, unless they worked out a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers.
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