Pau Gasol trade to Kings still in the works—report

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It’s clear that whatever the Bulls did before the All-Star break isn’t working. So, who better to trade than the only player who actually played in the All-Star Game—Pau Gasol.

That’s the rumor as the trade deadline nears Thursday afternoon.

From Yahoo’s The Vertical:

The Bulls have discussed deals with multiple NBA teams on Gasol, but one discussion lingered on Wednesday, league sources told The Vertical’s [Adrian] Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix: Gasol and Tony Snell to the Sacramento Kings for Kosta Koufos, Ben McLemore and a lowering of the lottery protections on the 2016 first-round pick that Sacramento owes the Bulls.

The pick is protected Nos. 1-10, but the Bulls and Kings discussed lowering the protections further to give Chicago a better chance of obtaining use of the pick in 2016, league sources told The Vertical.

Gasol has already said he will opt out of the final year of his contract with the Bulls at the end of the season to become a free agent, but he could stay in Chicago if the money is right. The 35-year-old center currently makes $7.4 million.

The trade of Gasol to the Kings would be much more involved than what is described above, as detailed by SB Nation.

The more Bulls lose, the greater Tom Thibodeau looksRegardless whether the Bulls are able to pull off the complex deal, the reported talks show a concerted effort by the Bulls to get younger and more athletic and possibly close the window on what they once thought was a championship roster.