The Portland Trail Blazers have made yet another move to sure up their frontcourt rotation.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that veteran big man Pau Gasol has reached an agreement on a one-year deal.
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
The move comes nearly three weeks after the team acquired centre Hassan Whiteside from the Miami Heat. Gasol, Whiteside and third-year big man Zach Collins will likely see the bulk of minutes at centre for the Blazers while Jusuf Nurkic continues on his road to recovery from a devastating leg injury last season.
Gasol, who turned 39 earlier in the month, is entering his 19th NBA season. Last year, he appeared in 30 games with the San Antonio Spurs (27) and Milwaukee Bucks (3) before surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot cut his season short.
In the 2017-18 season – his last full season with the Spurs – Gasol averaged 10.1 points and 8.0 rebounds over 77 games. While injuries may have slowed him down, the two-time NBA champion will bring plenty of invaluable experience to a team that is looking to get over the hump.
Portland is coming off of a 53-win season in which it fell short in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors. With the Western Conference as open as it has ever been, depth signings will be crucial for the team to make the next leap.
