Pau Gasol, a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, says he will not take a pay cut next year just to give the franchise more financial flexibility after his three-year contract worth $60 million expires at the end of the season.
The Lakers big man spoke of his desire to stay with the team but said he will not settle for a lower pay than the $19.3 million he is getting this year and give the Lakers more cap space to sign superstars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony who can help Gasol and Kobe Bryant one last chance to win another ring.
"Probably not," he told Daily News.com. "You have to explore your options, but I would like to continue to play for the Lakers and maybe finish my career here. But you have to see the cards on the table."
Gasol and Bryant are two of the highest paid cagers in the NBA, with the latter having a $30.5 million contract that also expires at the end of the year. Only three Lakers are signed beyond the season- two-time MVP Steve Nash, center Robert Sacre and guard Nick Young, giving the team a lot of cap space to sign free agents and re-tool an aging roster.
Both Gasol, 33, and Bryant, 35, have indicated their lack of interest in taking pay cuts to help the franchise. That could hamper the Lakers' plans to become active in the off-season next year. Still, the team may opt to leave the aging superstars unsigned and go for younger talents particularly James, the four-time MVP and two-time NBA champion.
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