Fresh off of having their worst season in franchise history, two Los Angeles Lakers players were uncertain about their futures during exit interviews from a forgettable season that saw the team finish 27-55 and enter an offseason full of question marks.
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Steve Nash and Pau Gasol said on Thursday that they weren't sure what the future will hold for them as Nash is aging and injury prone and Gasol is set to hit the open market and even mulled going to the New York Knicks.
For Gasol, 33, the future is wide open as for the first time in his 13-year career he will hit the open market on July 1. Gasol said he'll see what the Lakers offer, but he may sign elsewhere if a deal tempts him.
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"I'm going to listen closely to what the Lakers will have to offer and say about the team's situation and position at the time," Gasol said per ESPN. "We know what it is today, but we don't know what it is going to be July 1. See how the draft is going to play out, who they are going to end up drafting. Things like that that can have an impact or an effect on the structure of the team."
Gasol told Yahoo Sports that he's open to listening to the Knicks if they want to court him, as now that Phil Jackson is president of the team he hasn't ruled out reuniting with him.
"I'm happy for him and the position that he got," Gasol told Yahoo Sports. "I'm always going to be a big fan and a friend. I would listen."
The team has its fair share of players hitting free agency and with the team in rebuilding mode, Gasol may want to leave. The future of coach Mike D'Antoni with the team is also a major storyline this offseason.
Nash knows he will be in Los Angeles next season on a $9.7 million contract, though he's not sure how useful he'll be to the team going forward after injuries limited him to just 15 games this season.
"They can't rely on me, frankly," said Nash, 40, according to ESPN. "Hopefully I come back and play 82 games next year and the sky's the limit, but they can't rely on me. We don't know what I'm going to bring."
The Lakers aren't likely to make too big of a splash this offseason as they are waiting for the crop of free agents in 2015, however with the unpredictability of the league nothing can be ruled out. The team is likely to instead look to the NBA Draft to keep rebuilding their team after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005 this season.
It's unknown at this time what the Lakers will look to do, however it seems as though the team could look a lot different next season.
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