Veteran center Pau Gasol, 39, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Despite his age, Gasol is an accomplished veteran with a track record of success in the NBA. He won back-to-back championships alongside Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. As a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA selection, Gasol will bring a veteran presence to the locker room and could see minutes at the center position alongside the Trail Blazers newest addition, Hassan Whiteside, and blossoming young talent Zach Collins. Gasol also provides the Trail Blazers with an able body in the front court as they await the return of injured starting center Jusuf Nurkic.
Gasol last played for the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018-19 season, but appeared in just 30 games. He started the season and played in nine games for the Spurs until a stress fracture in his right foot forced him to miss the next 26 games. He was eventually released by the Spurs in a buyout agreement, and two days later signed with the Bucks. In late March, however, Gasol sustained another injury, this time to his left ankle and was forced to miss the remainder of the season after playing just three games for Milwaukee.
In those 30 games, Gasol posted averages of 3.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in roughly 12 minutes per game.
Gasol confirmed the news in a tweet Wednesday afternoon, saying he is “ready and happy to join one of the best teams in the league.”
Courtesy: OregonLive.com