The New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs reportedly will target soon-to-be free agent Marc Gasol in July. Gasol, who is in the final year of his contract, is poised to become one of the top targets in free agency this summer if he doesn't re-sign with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gasol is one of the league's top centers, and he would thrive in the triangle offense of Knicks president Phil Jackson. It's not a secret Jackson will pursue Gasol as a free agent in the summer, but he reportedly will have competition: the Spurs.
"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," Frank Isola of the New York Daily News wrote Saturday. "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.
"Otherwise, staying in Memphis will be appealing to Gasol, whose team is a legitimate championship contender. The Grizzlies can offer Gasol the most money, and he has grown to love the city, having lived there since high school when Pau broke in with the Grizzlies."
While San Antonio doesn't have the same market as New York, Marc would have the benefit of being coached by Gregg Popovich, the man who helped turn Duncan into a future Hall of Famer.
The 7-foot-1 All-Star center won the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and is currently averaging 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
