The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed unrestricted free agent power forward Pau Gasol to a contract over three years.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news on Friday afternoon:
Free agent Pau Gasol has agreed on a three-year deal to return to the San Antonio Spurs, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 21, 2017
Pau Gasol Re-Signs With San Antonio Spurs
Pau Gasol’s new deal will take him through the end of the 2020 season.
Gasol signed a 2 year, $31 million contract last off-season with the San Antonio Spurs that included a player option for the second year. Had he opted in for his second year, Gasol would have earned $16.2 million this season from the Spurs.
In his one year in San Antonio, Gasol averaged 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. For the first time in his career, the seven footer began shooting threes consistently, making 56 threes (0.9 per game) at a very impressive 54% clip.
At 37 years old, Gasol is a shell of his former self, yet he still remains a productive player who can play both the four and the five. Gasol’s newly developed three point range may allow him to remain a quality big for a few extra years than he otherwise would have lasted. While his athleticism isn’t what it used to be, Gasol is still a very crafty scorer and passer, an efficient rebounder, and now an emerging shooter.
The Spurs won’t rely on Pau Gasol to be a primary or secondary scoring option like he was earlier in his career. Instead, he figures to be a valuable role player who can help lead the Spurs to the championship.
This season will be Gasol’s 17th year in the NBA. He holds career averages of 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.
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