Pau Gasol’s best basketball years certainly are behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to walk away from the NBA.
The six-time All-Star was bought out by the Spurs in March before he signed on with the Bucks. He appeared in just three regular-season games for Milwaukee before a stress fracture in his left foot cost him the remainder of the season.
Still on the mend from foot surgery, Gasol, 38, said recently in Spain he wants to continue “playing and competing at the highest level.”
“The expectations are to recover and see what happens with the free agent market this summer,” he said (translated from MundoDeportivo.com). “If I recover, I think I can continue playing at a high level.”
He said in March he wanted a chance to win a championship with the Bucks and stands by that desire to play in Milwaukee.
“Having continuity in the Bucks is something that I think would be positive and that I would like,” Gasol said. “I made the decision to leave San Antonio to join this project that I believe has real potential to win the NBA title. This season we were close.”
Gasol has enjoyed a decorated 18-year career in the NBA with six All-Star appearances and two NBA titles as a member of the Lakers. He’s averaged 17.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in that span.
However, Gasol’s 2018-19 season showed a steep decline in his productivity. He averaged only 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 12 minutes per game between the Spurs and Bucks after averaging 10.1 points and 8.0 rebounds in 2017-18.