Report: Bulls have explored possibility of trading Pau Gasol

If Bulls big man Pau Gasol thought he would no longer have to sweat out every trade deadline once he left Los Angeles, apparently he thought wrong.

According to a report by Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports on Sunday, the team has been “quietly checking into deals” for Gasol. Zilgitt also notes, however, that the five-time All-Star “has a short list of teams he will sign with, making it difficult to trade him for a valuable asset.”

Gasol is expected to decline his player option and become a free agent at season’s end. Operating largely under-the-radar, he has put together another quality campaign in his age-35 season, averaging 16.3 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, and 2.2 blocks per game.

But the good news for Gasol’s job security in the Windy City is that frontcourt consort Joakim Noah suffered a season-ending left shoulder dislocation on Friday, meaning that the team can no longer afford to move the Spanish big.

Gasol’s post-2015-16 future is truly up in the air. Perhaps he creates his own city of brotherly love in Memphis like whispers had it over the fall. But as for the remainder of this season, it looks like Gasol will be playing it out in a Bulls uniform, rumors notwithstanding.

H/T Rotoworld