Gasol announced Thursday that he will play for Spanish club Girona for the remainder of the season before deciding whether to retire, the Associated Press reports.
The 36-year-old most recently spent the 2020-21 campaign with the Lakers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers in 19.1 minutes per contest over 52 appearances. He was traded to Memphis in September and later waived, but he didn't resurface elsewhere in the NBA prior to the start of the current season. At this stage, Gasol's days in the NBA may be over, but he apparently still wants to continue playing in the Spanish second division with Girona, the club he founded in 2014.
As expected, the Grizzlies took on Gasol's contract to ultimately waive him, and the veteran plans on signing a contract in the Spanish second division with the team that he owns, Girona. It's possible we've seen the last of Gasol in an NBA jersey, though a late-season return isn't out of the question for the 36-year-old. The center is the Grizzlies' all-time leader in win shares (77.4). While in Memphis, he made three All-Star games and averaged 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 blocks. He also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13 and secured a ring in 2019 with the Raptors.
The Lakers agreed to trade Marc Gasol -- along with a 2024 second-round pick and cash -- to the Grizzlies on Friday for draft rights to Wang Zhelin, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Wojnarowski reports that Gasol and the Grizzlies will work towards a waiver and release to allow him to remain in Spain with his family. The 36-year-old center's NBA career appears to be coming to an end, but he may look to continue playing basketball in Spain. In 13 seasons, Gasol accumulated two first team All-NBA nominations, three All-Star appearances and one Defensive Player of the Year award. He also won an NBA Championship with the Raptors during the 2018-19 campaign.
