Free agent center Pau Gasol has agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Gasol, 39, who was limited to just 30 games last season because of a variety of injuries, has career averages of 17.0 points and 9.2 rebounds over 18 NBA seasons.
He split last season with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, signing with Milwaukee after being bought out by San Antonio. However, Gasol played in just three games for the Bucks before suffering a season-ending foot injury.
Gasol will join a Portland front line that has been changed by both injury and free agency over the last few months. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a season-ending left leg injury in late March, days before the playoffs began for the Blazers. His role was filled admirably by Enes Kanter, whom the Blazers signed off the waiver wire in mid-Feburary.
Kanter provided some steady offensive production for Portland as it reached its first Western Conference finals since 2000. However, Kanter opted to leave the Blazers over the summer and signed with the Boston Celtics.
Portland acquired center Hassan Whiteside in an offseason trade with the Miami Heat (but had to trade big man Meyers Leonard in order to do so). The addition of Gasol means the Blazers will have a big man rotation consisting of him, Whiteside, Zach Collins and Nurkic (once he returns from injury).
