After keeping veteran center Pau Gasol and signing Joffrey Lauvergne to a two-year deal, many thought that the San Antonio Spurs would stop pursuing another big man. However, Matt Logue of The Daily Telegraph reported that the Spurs are among several teams eyeing the services of Australian big man Andrew Bogut, who remains a free agent. The Spurs recently signed Gasol to a three-year deal worth $48 million and Lauvergne to a two-year deal worth $3.18 million. In the offseason, the Spurs lost big man Dewayne Dedmon, who joined the Atlanta Hawks on a two-year deal worth $14 million.
David Lee, for his part, opted to test the free-agent market but he remains unsigned until now.
In February, the Dallas Mavericks traded Bogut to the Philadelphia 76ers, who waived him after agreeing to a buyout. In March, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the remainder of the season. However, disaster struck Bogut when he suffered a season-ending leg injury in his first game for the Cavaliers, who waived him after that. If he signs with the Spurs, Bogut will back up Gasol and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He is known to be an outstanding paint protector during his stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Mavericks, and the Cavaliers. A first overall pick by the Bucks in 2005, the 7-footer Bogut averaged 10.0 points, 8.9 boards and 1.6 blocks in 671 career games.
Bogut torn between four teams
Aside from the Spurs, the Boston Celtics, Bucks and the Utah Jazz are pursuing Bogut’s services. According to Logue, Bogut has difficulty in selecting his next destination because he has fellow Australian players in each of those four teams. The Celtics have Aron Baynes, the Bucks have Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova, the Spurs have Patty Mills, and the Jazz have Joe Ingles and Dante Exum.
Among the four, the Celtics and the Spurs are the favorites to land the 32-year-old Bogut, who wants to join a championship contender.
Bogut expected to be cleared to play
Bogut could be medically cleared next week, allowing him to return to basketball action. According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Bogut will undergo a bone scan, which if he hurdled, could allow him to sign with any team as soon as next week.
Last season, he played 26 games for the Mavericks, averaging 3.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.9 assists. He won an NBA title with the Warriors during the 2014-1 season, when he averaged 6.3 points, 8.1 boards and 1.7 blocks in 67 games.
