The Los Angeles Lakers took care of one piece of offseason business by meeting with free agent Pau Gasol, and now the team has its sights sets on Carmelo Anthony, who opted out of his deal with the New York Knicks and hit the open market.
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According to ESPN, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak met with Gasol in an L.A. office building on Tuesday for a few hours, just one day after the Lakers brass contacted the two-time NBA champion over the phone.
The Lakers are hopeful to bring back Gasol, but he also has outside interest from other teams including the Miami Heat. Gasol has received praise from teammate Kobe Bryant, who signed a two-year extension with L.A. and is looking to win a sixth NBA title by the time that deal expires.
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With the team opening up dialogue with Gasol, it will now shift to Anthony as the seven-time NBA All-Star is slated to meet with Lakers president Jeanie Buss, executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss and Kupchak,
The Lakers odds of landing Anthony appear slim as he has plenty of teams interested in him including the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks, who can offer him the most years and money to retain his services.
Anthony met with Chicago on Tuesday and visited Houston and Dallas on Wednesday and now his tour will take him to Los Angeles. Anthony has always said the most important thing for him is to win, and the Lakers will try to convince him they have a winning culture and give him a great opportunity to earn a ring if he opts to sign with them.
The Lakers have cap room and would like to land Anthony and retain Gasol, but both have plenty of outside interest in them. Aside from the Heat and Lakers, Gasol is being courted by the Bulls, Mavericks and Golden State Warriors.
Kupchak spoke to ESPNLA 710 and said that Gasol would thrive alongside No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft Julius Randle next season when the Lakers try to erase a franchise-worst 27-55 2013-14 campaign where Los Angeles missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
"I don't think Pau and Randle are similar," Kupchak told the program. "I think, in fact, they can complement each other. Julius is a really competitive and physical player, and he loves contact and he'll put the ball down a little bit and get to the rim. He has to work on the nuances of the game at 19-years-old. Pau is probably the most skilled big man that this game has ever seen. I think Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] would be up there with him, in terms of understanding and passing the ball and seeing the floor. So, I think they can complement each other."
With July here, NBA free agency and the summer are heating up in what should be a busy time in Los Angeles for the Lakers.
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