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Pau Gasol: Top 5 Free Agency Destinations

By Gerald Bourguet

March 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol (16) moves to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol (16) moves to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pau Gasol
Jan 7, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) and Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol (16) look for the ball during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Lakers 110-97. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Dallas Mavericks

More than a week before free agency officially began, ESPN’s Marc Stein and Tim McMahon reported that the Mavs were interested in pairing Gasol with Dirk Nowitzki in the frontcourt, so this should be no surprise. I’ve already covered why Gasol isn’t the answer for Dallas defensively, but it should be pretty easy to assume that two big men with defensive ratings of 108 points per 100 possessions last season wouldn’t be getting many stops on that end.

On the offensive end, however, Dirk and Gasol would form one of the league’s most spellbinding frontcourt duos. Gasol is an elite passing big and Nowitzki remains as adept a scorer as he’s ever been. The all-European tandem would generate some fascinating interplay and would definitely provide some insurance for Tyson Chandler who’s had problems staying healthy the past few seasons.

However, you don’t invest in a player like Gasol simply as insurance in the event Chandler gets hurt. Unlike Carmelo Anthony (the Mavs’ top priority), Gasol can’t simply slide to the small forward position and Nowitzki and Chandler pretty much have that frontcourt locked down. That’s precisely why we haven’t heard much about Gasol joining the Mavs in a while. Gasol may be willing to take less money to join a contender, but the Mavs aren’t one compared to the elite teams in the West, even if Monta Ellis continues his success from last year.

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