Four-time All-NBA power forward/centre Pau Gasol is looking to return to the NBA after not playing in 2019-20 and the 40-year-old has named the Los Angeles Lakers as one team he’d be interested in joining.
Gasol said in an interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe that the Lakers would be a dream destination because of his history with the team and the fact his younger brother, Marc Gasol, recently signed there.
“There is meaning and history there,” Gasol told Lowe. “I’m not going to lie. It would be very special, and now that my brother is there, even more special. But I’m not in a position now to be very demanding. I don’t have 10 offers on the table.”
Gasol spent 2008-2014 with the Lakers after being acquired in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies – a deal in which Marc’s contract rights were also involved.
The Barcelona native won NBA titles in 2009 and 2010 while averaging 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in a Lakers uniform.
Gasol hasn’t suited up for an NBA game since March of 2019 during his brief stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2019-20 season but was waived before playing a game.
“What he valued most was the opportunity to win another championship,” Pau said of Marc’s recent free agency decision. “To play for the Lakers — it’s such a unique franchise. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s very special for us to be the first brothers to play for the Lakers. It would be incredible if it ends up happening where I can join the team at some point.”
Gasol also said he hopes to represent Spain at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. It would be his fifth Olympic Games.
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