January 30, 2007
OVER the weekend, I heard Portland was offered Pau Gasol ($12.3 million) for LaMarcus Aldridge ($4M), Sergio Rodriguez ($760G) and Jamaal Magloire's expiring ($8.433M) contract. Without doubt, Gasol and Zach Randolph would be a daunting duo to defend, but they'd also be a serious threat to give up as much as they put up.
I certainly believe Grizzlies president Jerry West, as any upstanding NBA executive would do in his position, is bobbing for options just in case the Bulls disprove the notion in these here parts they're the most plausible Pau partner.
An exam of various teams able, if not ready and willing, (it's unknown whether the Trail Blazers are receptive, or even if a counteroffer was solicited) to give West what he insists on for Gasol is a short, semi-mouthwatering list.
The Hawks should offer two of their young flock - Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, Sheldon Williams - for Gasol. Anybody, that is, exempting Joe Johnson. Logically, by erasing him from the equation, Atlanta can't hope to satisfy the Grizzlies' demand for an established compulsive scoring guard.
The Celtics feature Paul Pierce. Yet Danny Ainge's idea is to team up the franchise player with Gasol, not exchange one for the other. West wouldn't want Pierce anyway; too old and makes too much. His plan is to shave $10M off Memphis' cap next season to $34M. Neither Boston nor Atlanta holds a worthwhile expiring contract. What's more, both losing assemblies are just what Gasol is trying to get away from.
Everyone else should be available, even Al Jefferson, despite how much he's been cashing in on the backboard and scoreboard. Still, he's not the confirmed, low-mileage guard or forward Memphis is targeting.
The Bulls, as I might've mentioned recently in this space, have the prerequisite enticement to snare Gasol. While I have no reason to think VP John Paxson will modify his steadfast opposition to swap Luol Deng and Ben Gordon (along with P.J. Brown's expiring $8.56M contract) for the answer to his team's offensive paint prayers, there sure seems to be plenty of negotiating room.
That's because the Bulls and their decision makers (I assume chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has some say in momentous personnel matters) own other desirable, exchangeable pieces, namely Andres Nocioni, Kirk Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha.
I suspect (strictly educated speculation) Memphis may be amenable to accepting one of the above players in place of Gordon or Deng. At the same time, I'm convinced a Gasol (plus Hakim Warrick) deal cannot happen unless one of those two (in addition to a first-rounder in the '08 or '09 draft, not this June) is included.
