Gasol tweets he’ll leave Lakers to play for Bulls
Even without Bosh, Rockets trade Lin to Lakers
7/13/2014The Chicago Bulls recovered quickly after losing out on Carmelo Anthony in free agency, landing Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol to bolster the team’s offense.
Gasol announced on his verified Twitter account on Saturday evening that he reached agreement with the Bulls.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Gasol tweeted. “After meditating it a lot I’ve chosen to play with the Chicago Bulls. Looking forward to this new chapter of my career.”
The Spaniard is one of the NBA’s most offensively gifted and versatile big men, and he has long been one of Kobe Bryant’s favorite teammates with the Lakers. Gasol spent the past seven seasons in Los Angeles, teaming with Bryant to win two championships and reach another NBA Finals.
The exact terms of his agreement with the Bulls were not immediately clear.
The Bulls and Lakers had reportedly been discussing sign-and-trade options earlier in the day Saturday, but no official announcement from either team had been made.
The 7-foot Gasol is a four-time All-Star and averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 60 games last season with Los Angeles, and he brings some sorely needed offensive punch to the Bulls frontcourt.
LAKERS/LIN: Jeremy Lin is still on his way to Los Angeles, even after the Houston Rockets failed to land coveted forward Chris Bosh in free agency.
The Rockets plan to execute the trade that will send the point guard to Los Angeles for cash, two people with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press. The people requested anonymity because the trade has not been officially announced.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey plunged into the free agent market with designs on adding a third star to play with James Harden and Dwight Howard. He made a brief overture to LeBron James and hosted Carmelo Anthony for a visit, but both of those efforts were rebuffed.
SUNS/THOMAS: Phoenix officially announced the acquisition of point guard Isaiah Thomas in a sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings.
The deal had been reported by multiple outlets on Friday.
The Suns envision Thomas as a complement to their double point guard starting lineup of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, solidifying what general manager Ryan McDonough calls “the best backcourt in the league.”
Sacramento gets the rights to forward Alex Oriakhi, Phoenix’s second-round draft pick a year ago. The Kings also get a $7 million trade exemption.
JAZZ/HAYWARD: Utah matched Charlotte’s four-year, $63 million offer for restricted free agent Gordon Hayward.
Hayward’s agent confirmed Utah’s move on Saturday. It was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
The Jazz had until late today to match the Hornets’ offer for the 6-foot-8 small forward.
SPURS/MILLS: San Antonio re-signed guard Patty Mills. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the San Antonio Express-News previously reported it as a three-year deal.
The Spurs also signed first-round draft pick Kyle Anderson to his rookie contract. Anderson averaged 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists for UCLA last season.
THUNDER/MORROW: Free agent guard Anthony Morrow agreed to three-year, $10 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morrow, who played for New Orleans last season, has career averages of 10.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in six NBA seasons.
He helps fill a void created when starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha signed with the Atlanta Hawks after becoming a free agent.