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San Antonio Spurs center Pau Gasol will decline his $16.2 million player option in order to seek a long-term deal to remain with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
This could be a way for the Spurs to get some salary cap relief for this upcoming season, expecting the big man to return for the next campaign at a discounted annual salary.
San Antonio will need vastly more than that to make a run at soon-to-be free agent point guard Chris Paul this offseason, likely renouncing the rights to Jonathon Simmons, as well as possibly trading LaMarcus Aldridge to be able to offer Paul a substantial four-year deal.
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While the move is extremely unlikely, given that it would take nearly dismantling the entire team to make it happen, the most likely scenario out of all would be a sign-and-trade with the L.A. Clippers, who would likely want a star of caliber in return.
Gasol's interest in remaining with the team will give the Spurs some partial security at center as the team is unlikely to match the hefty offers center Dewayne Dedmon is bound to get this offseason.
The 16-year veteran averaged a career-worst 12.4 points per game, along with 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest in 2016-2017. Surprisingly enough, he shot a career-high 53.8 percent from the three-point line — more than seven percent higher than his previous season best.
