The Chicago Bulls decided not to trade away Pau Gasol at the deadline.

Gasol knew there was a chance that he may be traded to the Sacramento Kings, as had been speculated for days, but a deal never materialized.

Gasol is likely to elect for free agency in the offseason.

"We see him as a big piece of what we're doing today and in the future," Gar Forman told ESPN.com in a telephone interview.

"If they didn't trade me, the assumption is that they would like to keep me, right?" Gasol said. "Otherwise they would have traded me and get some value in return. So I assume that that's their mindset, and that's good to know. That's just something that you like to hear and you like to know."

"We value Pau," Forman said. "And Pau wasn't shopped. We see him as part of our core."