The Lakers have agreed to a trade that will send center Marc Gasol to the Grizzlies for the draft rights to Wang Zhelin, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
It is simply being made for salary reasons, as the Grizzlies will release Gasol and “allow him to remain in Spain with family,” Wojnarowski wrote, adding that the move will result in saving $10 million for LA.
The Grizzlies are also acquiring a 2024 second-round pick and cash as part of the deal, Wojnarowski reported.
Gasol, 36, just finished his first season with the Lakers and averaged 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 52 regular-season games. But LA has signed Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan to man the pivot.
“Gasol has a one-year, $2.7M that multiplies with Lakers luxury tax,” Wojnarowski wrote.
His career began with Barcelona in 2003, and he was originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (No. 48 overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft. Gasol’s draft rights were traded to the Grizzlies in February 2008.
He spent 11 seasons in Memphis before being traded to the Raptors in 2018. Two seasons after winning a title with Toronto he joined Los Angeles on a one-year contract in free agency.
Wang, 27, is 7-foot-0 is a four-time All-Star in the Chinese Basketball Association and was selected by the Grizzlies in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2016 draft. He was named CBA MVP in 2018-19.
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