default-cbs-image

On Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs made a very shrewd move by convincing Pau Gasol to opt out of the final year of his contract which would have paid him just over $16M. Gasol and the Spurs will renegotiate a longer term deal that will serve both sides, as Gasol will get job security at the end of his career while the Spurs suddenly have enough cap space to make a splash in free agency. 

In addition, the Spurs are reportedly open to dealing LaMarcus Aldridge, which would create even more cap space.

They have been linked to both Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry in recent months as they'll be in need of a point guard with Tony Parker not expected back until sometime in the middle of next season after he tore his quad during the playoffs. 

Those two are not the only point guards the Spurs have interest in. According to a report from Ramona Shelburne, San Antonio is looking at Derrick Rose as well. 

The interest in Paul is obvious, as every team would love to have the veteran point guard on their squad. For the Spurs, Paul would give them the extra star power they need to mount another challenge to the Warriors next season. 

Rose, on the other hand, is not a name anyone expected to be associated with the Spurs this summer. He is quite a bit younger than Paul or Lowry, and could likely be signed for less money, but he is no longer the player he was before his knee injuries and would be a far inferior option.