Marc Gasol apparently has inflicted the first dose of the harsh reality Knicks fans could face more of during the offseason. Big-name players aren’t necessarily going to be in a hurry to sign a free-agent contract with their hometown team.
Sheridan Hoops, citing an unnamed source, said Gasol already has ruled out signing with the Knicks, preferring to remain with Memphis, where he can make the most money.
“It’s a matter of money,” the source told the website. “He can get a five-year deal to stay in Memphis where he attended high school.”
Assuming the report is true, the Knicks have lost one of their top free-agent targets before they’ve even had a chance to finish their regular season. The report confirms a story by The Post in December that the Knicks were long shots to land Gasol, the 7-foot-1 center, who joined the Grizzlies in 2008. He became a two-time All-Star this season, and the Knicks had hopes he would enjoy All-Star weekend in New York and the Garden enough at least to hear the Knicks’ offer during the offseason.
Landing a big man is among the Knicks priorities. But the chance to play in a big market or for Phil Jackson’s 13 championship rings and James Dolan’s money may not be enough to land the biggest fish in the upcoming free-agent market.
The fact free agents can get an extra year and make more money sticking with their current team works against the Knicks. So does their 12-49 record after a 92-86 loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at the Garden. After losing 105-82 in Indianapolis on Wednesday, the Knicks actually were tied 82-82 before fading late on Saturday.
Jackson, the team president, stripped the Knicks of talent and hefty contracts to increase cap space with plans of rebuilding the team through free agency and the draft. It remains the best chance for the Knicks to create a team that can contend for the postseason next season and a championship within the next few years. But Gasol’s early rejection is a reminder the task won’t be a quick fix.
The notion free agents will come to the Knicks simply to play in the Mecca of Basketball or enhance their off-the-court opportunities are a myth. Kevin Durant can’t be much more popular than he already is playing in Oklahoma City, and Gasol is apparently happy playing in Memphis, where he went to high school at Lausanne Collegiate School.
The potential for big names to shun the Knicks is part of the reason Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher have downplayed their need for max-contract players and talked more often of attracting players who fit into their triangle system.
When the Knicks last went into an offseason talking about infusing the franchise with top talent, it was 2010 and the target was LeBron James, who eventually took his talents to South Beach. The Knicks wound up overpaying for Amar’e Stoudemire. The $100 million deal and Stoudemire’s proclamation the “Knicks are back” provided some short-term energy and two postseason appearances, but fell way short of expectations.
The arrival of Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler was supposed to give the Knicks their “Big Three.”
But Chandler is back in Dallas along with Stoudemire, who took a buyout at the All-Star break, while Anthony is done for the season with a knee injury and waiting like everyone else to see what kind of roster the Knicks build around him for next year. The “Big Three” is now the “Big One” with no guarantees there will be a “Big Two or Three” next season.
Gasol’s snub offers an early dose of reality that once the regular season ends, the hard work of rebuilding the Knicks is just beginning.