Pau Gasol has agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. The deal was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Pau Gasol Inks Deal with the Portland Trail Blazers
Gasol has as much experience as one could hope for. He has been in the league since 2002 when he was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks before his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Free agent Pau Gasol has agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2019
Gasol is unlikely to have a big role in the rotation. He has been past his prime for a couple of years now and Portland has a loaded roster. Zach Collins, Hassan Whiteside, and Anthony Tolliver are unlikely to lose playing time to Gasol. Portland is also looking at having Jusuf Nurkic back at some point during the season.
With those four, Portland will have one of the deepest frontcourts in basketball.
Pau Gasol’s Value for Next Season
With Gasol looking at a limited role in the rotation, he will have a valuable role in Portland. Gasol is a two-time NBA champion and has 18 seasons worth of experience. Those two factors will make his veteran presence on the team invaluable.
Before the return of Nurkic, he could see some playing time as well. A good amount of minutes per game would top out around 10-14. While he is well past his prime, Gasol still has a nice touch around the basket and could come in and score some points in the frontcourt.
A common notion would be that Gasol would be a liability on the defensive end of the floor. However, that’s not true. He still rates as a good defender even at his older age. Gasol has always been a good defender, but as he’s gained experience he’s become even better on that end of the floor.
| Season | Age | Tm | Pos | G | MP | DRB% | TRB% | DWS | DBPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 35 | CHI | C | 72 | 2291 | 28.7 | 18.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| 2016-17 | 36 | SAS | C | 64 | 1627 | 26.8 | 17.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| 2017-18 | 37 | SAS | C | 77 | 1812 | 30.2 | 19.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| 2018-19 | 38 | TOT | C | 30 | 360 | 34.2 | 20.6 | 0.5 | 2.7 |
Portland is ultimately bringing Gasol in because of his championship pedigree and having someone with so much experience and success in his career is always a good thing.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
