Updated:23/11/2020 06:14h
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The Los Angeles Lakers completed this Sunday the transfer of center JaVale McGee and the rights of a second selection to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then reach an agreement with the Spanish All-Star Marc Gasol by offering you a contract for two seasons, as reported by various sources close to the current league champions.
The Lakers won the battle against the Dallas Mavericks in the fight to secure the services of Gasol, 35, who is as an unrestricted free agent after his contract with the Toronto Raptors ended last season.
The arrival of Gasol will allow him to play for the first time with the team that in the 2007 university draw selected him with 48 in the second round, although later He transferred his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Marc Gasol’s deal with the Lakers comes 24 hours after his teammate from last season, Spanish Congolese power forward Serge Ibaka, agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers acquired with the transfer of McGee to the forwards Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie. Bell has a team option and could be left off the roster, while McKinnie has three years left on his contract, but all are not guaranteed, giving the reigning NBA champions some salary cap flexibility.
The Los Angeles team also ensured the continuity of the guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who was offered a contract for three seasons.
Marc Gasol, who will turn 36 in January, has earned a reputation for being one of the smartest centers in the NBA when he’s in the field.
The Sant Boi player won the 2013 Best Defender of the Year award, in addition to holding the league title with the Raptors, while in the 11 seasons he played with the Grizzlies he was always the franchise man.
But his arrival at the Raptors, although he participated in obtaining the league championship title, in 2019, his averages during last season were already the worst as a professional with barely 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Gasol’s arrival with the Lakers comes after the league champions have lost top players like guards Danny Green and Avery Bradley, point guard Rajon Rondo and McGee.
His replacements will be German point guard Dennis Schroder, traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder, guard Wesley Matthews, who signed as a free agent, as well as power forward Montrezl Harrell and Gasol.
The presence of Marc Gasol in the Lakers will make the name of his family remain united to the Los Angeles team, where Pau was and won two league titles in a row.
In addition, there is the possibility that both brothers can play together with the Lakers, if in the end the current league champions can sign Pau to a minimum wage contract, an option that the older Gasol has not rejected.
Meanwhile, Marc is expected to take on the minutes and work McGee did as the starting center in Los Angeles and provide a significant improvement to the teamconsidering how well his skill set fits in with star forward LeBron James and power forward Anthony Davis.
Shooting from outside the perimeter was a problem last league for the Lakers, partly because McGee wasn’t a specialist, while Gasol, with the Raptors, had 38.5 percent on 3s.
Gasol is also a better defender than McGee, and although his physical power is no longer the same as the past seasons, in part because he does not have the same mobility, the presence of Davis can compensate for that loss.
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