Incoming free-agent forward Pau Gasol has expressed his interest in playing alongside former MVP point guard Derrick Rose next season, making the Chicago Bulls one of the clear-cut favorites to land the four-time All-Star.

Gasol, who averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in perhaps his final season with the purple and gold jersey, is expected to be one of the most coveted big men available on the free-agency market.

The lanky seven-footer repeatedly stressed that he wants to join a championship-caliber ballclub, where he can play a major role in the lineup. The Memphis Grizzlies have been the most likely destination for Pau at this point of his career, given the presence of his All-Star brother Marc Gasol.

The Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors are also in the mix to land Gasol. However, a recent interview showed Gasol's great interest in playing alongside a 'healthy' Rose and an up-and-coming point forward Nikola Mirotic.

"The Chicago Bulls, with the return of Derrick Rose and the possible addition of Nikola Mirotic, could be an interesting team," Gasol said an interview last week via SB Nation Chicago Bulls blog.

According to SB Nation writer Joy Patt, Gasol could be an intriguing option for the Bulls because of their need to fill the slack in their frontcourt, especially at the power forward position. Then again, using a big portion of their cap space for the 33-year old Gasol would be too risky for the Bulls, who are in a win-now mode.

"Gasol could be an intriguing option with the Bulls because of his skill set and the need for some frontcourt help, but the price would have to be just right due to his age and injury problems," SB Nation stated.

"He made over $19 million this past season, and although he's obviously not going to make nearly that much annually going forward, he still could be looking for a somewhat lucrative deal."

The Bulls are reportedly trying to part ways with Carlos Boozer via trade, and Gasol could be a nice target in a sign-and-trade move. With Boozer's contract expiring in 2015, the Lakers can surely pull off a deal if they want to have a solid compensation for letting Gasol join another team.

"If he were willing to take a major discount and come for cheap, sure, I'd be more willing to do that. Another option is attempting to engage the Lakers in sign-and-trade discussions involving Carlos Boozer. I'm not sure how receptive the Lakers would be to those talks, but they do have a ton of cap space and acquiring Boozer wouldn't ruin their 2015 plan."

The lure of forming a formidable frontcourt core of Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Mirotic is surely hard for the front office to snub. That only means the summer of 2014 will be an interesting one for the Bulls, as the franchise looks to get back to elite status.

"In the end, Gasol wouldn't be one of my first choices this offseason, but the Bulls could probably do worse if they were able to get him on a reasonable deal. Potentially having a frontcourt of Gasol, Mirotic, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson would be pretty impressive, and maybe Pau could stay healthier in a more limited role," via SB Nation.