The San Antonio Spurs and veteran center Pau Gasol have agreed on a three-year deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the contract includes a partial guarantee in the third year. However, full financial details of the contract weren’t available. Gasol recently declined the $16.2 million option on his two-year deal with the Spurs but expressed his intention of returning to San Antonio on a long-term deal with a lower salary.
The 37-year-old Gasol will be returning for his 17th season. Last season, Gasol averaged 12.4 points per game and improved his three-point shooting, making 53.8 percent of his attempts from three-point range.
In his career, the six-time All-Star averaged 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds. With Gasol’s return, the Spurs will have a primary big man who can play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge in the shaded area. The Spurs also signed big man Joffrey Lauvergne to a two-year deal to replace Dewayne Dedmon, who joined the Atlanta Hawks on a two-year deal worth $14 million.
Joffrey Lauvergne a quality backup for Spurs
The 6-foot-11 Lauvergne was originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft but was traded to Denver on Draft Day. He spent his first two seasons in Denver, averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes of action. In 2016, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.8 minutes in 50 games.
At the trade deadline, he was shipped to the Chicago Bulls, where he played 20 games, averaging 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes. Lauvergne has played alongside Spurs guard Tony Parker on the French national squad.
Ginobili also set to return to Spurs
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, 39-year-old Manu Ginobili will put his retirement plans in the backburner and return to the Spurs for his 16th season.
Last season, Ginobili averaged 7.5 points in 18.7 minutes as he helped the Spurs reach the Western Conference Finals. A four-time NBA champion and a two-time All-Star, Ginobili has played in 992 regular-season games and made 212 postseason appearances, averaging 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
In his semi-regular column in the Argentinian publication La Nacion, Ginobili revealed that coach Gregg Popovich told him “he wanted me to continue and he needed me on the team." Ginobili said it would have been easier for him to retire if Popovich told him otherwise. In the column, Ginobili also confirmed that he will return to the Spurs for another season.
