The Washington Wizards have been quite a big disappointment so far this season as they are 7-9 after losing five of their last six games including their most recent game against the hapless Los Angeles Lakers. Many Wizards fans have been excited about the summer of 2016 because they believe they are the favorites to sign Kevin Durant but that is far from a lock and they need backup plans. One player that could be a potential backup plan is Pau Gasol, according to J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
Gasol signed a three year deal with the Chicago Bulls worth a little more than $22 million and he is in the second year of that deal. That deal with the Bulls was at a discounted price as Gasol wanted to go somewhere he could win but now he has made it pretty clear that he will opt out of the final year of the deal and make himself a free agent this coming summer, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago.
The salary cap is expected to raise about $20 million next season so it would certainly be wise for Gasol to opt out and if he does he will have plenty of suitors as he is still playing great basketball. As of right now it seems like the Wizards have all of their eggs in the Durant basket but it seems more and more likely that he will stay in Oklahoma City so a plan b is very necessary.
The Wizards currently only have four players under contract for next season and only one of them is a big man (Marcin Gortat.) Nene will likely be gone next season as the 33 year old seems to be near the end of his rope due to injuries and they have a team option on Kris Humphries that they can decline so they will need to find someone to play alongside Gortat. Gasol isn't the only option the Wizards would have as the 2016 free agent pool is filled with good big men including Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside and Al Jefferson to name a few but Michael believes Gasol would be a good fit.
One thing is clear for the Wizards and that is that they will have a lot of cap space going into the 2016 offseason. Durant is the guy they would love to have in this free agent class but there are plenty of other good players out there that they have a shot to get their hands on and despite the fact that Gasol will turn 36 over the summer he is still playing like an elite center and would represent a nice short-term upgrade for the Wizards.
