According to a report by David Aldridge, the Memphis Grizzlies intend to match the four-year $55 million offer sheet for restricted free agent Marc Gasol.
Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley told TNT's David Aldridge on Sunday afternoon that the Grizzlies would match the four-year, $55 million offer sheet the Houston Rockets have reportedly prepared for restricted free agent center Marc Gasol, considered the top big man in free agency this offseason.
Although Memphis owner Michael Heisley said that Memphis had not received the offer sheet on Gasol, he told Aldridge that the Grizzlies had already offered Gasol a long-term deal that was worth more than the offer sheet amount.
"We’re keeping Marc," Heisley said. "We can’t afford to let him go … Marc and his agent have to decide what they want to do. But we would definitely match that if that came up to us."
The news is another set back for the Rockets who have been frantically searching for a quality big man. Houston thought it had landed Marc Gasol's brother Pau in a three-team trade that would have landed Chris Paul in Los Angeles. That deal was nixed by the league and forced the Rockets to switch to their back up plan.
For more on NBA free agency, see SB Nation's 2011 NBA free agency StoryStream and the 2011 NBA free agency hub; for more on the Rockets, make sure to check out The Dream Shake.