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By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports activities Author
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have traded the rights to Marc Gasol again to the Memphis Grizzlies, the place the 36-year-old middle spent his first 11 NBA seasons.
The Lakers additionally despatched a second-round decide in 2024 and money to Memphis on Friday in alternate for the draft rights to Chinese language huge man Wang Zhelin.
ESPN then reported the Grizzlies intend to waive Gasol, who plans to start the brand new NBA season at house in Spain. The transfer saves the Lakers about $10 million towards the wage cap and the league’s luxurious tax.
The 36-year-old Gasol averaged a career-low 5.0 factors and 4.1 rebounds per recreation final season with the Lakers, who signed him to a two-year deal final November. The 7-foot-1 middle by no means discovered an everyday position within the injury-plagued Lakers’ rotation whereas they misplaced within the first spherical of the postseason.
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Gasol’s position for the upcoming season regarded more and more tenuous this summer time after the Lakers signed facilities Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, who formally returned to Los Angeles on Thursday. The Lakers additionally weren’t even sure Gasol needed to return for one more NBA season, prompting them to top off on huge males.
Gasol made three All-Star groups throughout his profession with the Grizzlies, who first acquired his rights from the Lakers within the commerce sending his older brother, Pau, to the Lakers in November 2008.
Gasol was traded from Memphis to Toronto in February 2019, and he gained a championship ring later that season.
Gasol is averaging 14.0 factors, 7.4 rebounds and three.4 assists per recreation in his NBA profession as a playmaking middle with robust defensive talents as the previous NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months. These abilities by no means translated into constant contributions with the Lakers, who acquired middle Andre Drummond close to the commerce deadline final season.
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