Free agent power forward Pau Gasol has agreed to sign a three-year deal worth upwards of $22 million with the Chicago Bulls, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
Free agent forward Pau Gasol is finalizing a three-year, $22M-plus contract with the Chicago Bulls, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 14, 2014
The two sides have been working on a deal since sign-and-trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers broke down yesterday.
The 34-year-old, who drew serious interest from several teams, including the Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks, announced his decision on Twitter:
It hasn’t been easy. After meditating it a lot I’ve chosen to play with the Chicago Bulls. Looking forward to this new chapter of my career
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) July 12, 2014
Gasol, likely a future hall of famer, has spent the last six years in Los Angeles after the Memphis Grizzlies traded him to the Lakers midway through the 2007-08 season. During that span, he formed a dangerous combination with Kobe Bryant, and helped lead the team to two straight NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Over his entire 13-year career, Gasol has averaged 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
While the Lakers have declined in recent years, Gasol has remained consistent, averaging over 17 points per game in three of the last four seasons. Last season, he was arguably the only bright spot on a terrible team, as he averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 48% from the field.
After missing out on free agent superstar Carmelo Anthony, the Bulls got a solid player in Gasol, and have built one of the more intriguing front courts in the league by combining him with reigning defensive player of the year Joakim Noah.
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