NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic and More
It's funny how forward-looking the NBA can be sometimes. Despite a very lengthy season, rumors regarding the 2015 offseason are already running rampant around the Web. Talk of upcoming free agents and potential interest of franchises around the Association headline the latest rumors even though we're roughly 11 games into the current season.
Then again, personnel decisions must be hashed out well in advance to avoid missing out on potential top-tier additions altogether. That's how dynasties are born. So, which big-name players are the talk of the town, and which teams are in hot pursuit?
Here's a look at some of the juiciest gossip to recently surface from trusted sources around the Internet.
Marc Gasol to San Antonio or New York?
Speaking of taking an early interest in soon-to-be free agents to keep a dynasty intact, there's a rumor going around that the San Antonio Spurs are eyeing up Gasol as the heir apparent to one of the team's all-time greats, Tim Duncan.
Although, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the New York Knicks will be players as well:
"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.
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There's a big debate over which team will have the upper hand when free agency rolls around; however, Hoops Hype tweeted its hot take:
Sure, both of these cities should be very appealing to Gasol, but let's not rule out the possibility he'll be perfectly content staying in Memphis. The center is in his seventh season with the Grizzles, and the team has turned into a championship contender.
Gasol is taking flight on the team's offense this season, averaging a career high in points per game and looking like the NBA's most elite scoring center. He's in the last year of his four-year, $57.5 million contract, via Spotrac.com, and we can't rule out the fact that Memphis is more than capable of paying him big money once again.
This will make for one of the 2014 offseason's most interesting developments.
Goran Dragic to Los Angeles or Houston?
Dragic could be another highly coveted free agent this coming offseason, as he has a player option with the Phoenix Suns for the 2015-16 season and is likely to test the waters, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
Writes Deveney: "Dragic will have an 'open' free agency, league sources told Sporting News. When Dragic opts out and becomes a free agent next July, he will be a sought-after commodity, and while Phoenix would get the first hearing, Dragic will have options."
He goes on to note that "Among those options, according to sources, would be Houston," and, "The Lakers also figure to be a potential landing spot for Dragic, a source said."
Dragic is currently riding out his four-year, $30 million contract, via Spotrac.com, with the Suns, and he'll get looks from plenty of teams during the offseason due to his efficient scoring and ability to knock down a wide array of shots from downtown.
NBA Australia seems to agree:
Obviously, Los Angeles will need a shooting guard as an heir apparent to Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers have so many holes to fill, they may have trouble targeting multiple big-name free agents at once. Meanwhile, Houston would be looking at a devastating shooting backcourt by pairing Dragic with James Harden.
Of course, we can't rule out a possible return to the Suns for the veteran. He's spent the better part of six seasons in Phoenix and may not be inclined to leave a familiar setting. The team's plans with Dragic's future utilization could be a deciding factor.
Lakers Workouts
By now, everyone is well aware the Lakers lack depth across the board due to severe injuries suffered by multiple players on the team. Los Angeles took a step in the right direction, notching its second win of the season following Nick Young's return, but it still needs to add more pieces to the puzzle.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweeted four names who will be working out for the team shortly:
That's quite an array of players.
Tyrus Thomas is a power forward who never lived up to his first-round billing, suffering countless injuries throughout his NBA career. He hasn't played since early in the 2012-13 season, and signing him almost appears to be too large of a risk for an already injury-riddled team.
Point guard Gal Mekel is a solid passer and could help in the backcourt rotation; however, he is very inexperienced, having played just 31 career games with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 2.4 points per game.
Jordan Hamilton would bring more experience to the team's backcourt, having played a total of three seasons with the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets in a supporting role. He's a decent shot maker, which the Lakers need, but won't help much in terms of facilitating or creating shots.
Dwight Buycks has a similar situation as Mekel. He's shown promise as a point guard, but his inexperience may be troubling for a Los Angeles team that needs immediate contribution. In 14 career games with the Toronto Raptors, Buycks averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
Obviously, the Lakers have plenty of options—they just really need to choose the right one.
