Raptors center Marc Gasol has exercised his 2019/20 player option, the team announced today. The move will ensure that Gasol remains under contract through next season, earning a salary of $25,595,700, per Basketball Insiders.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2019/20]
Gasol, who spent the first 10 years of his NBA career in Memphis, was shipped to the Raptors in a deadline deal in his 11th season as the Grizzlies pivoted into rebuilding mode. In 26 regular season games for Toronto, the 34-year-old posted the lowest averages of his career in most categories (9.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 24.9 MPG), but helped anchor the team’s defense and improve its ball movement on offense.
Although Gasol’s postseason numbers (9.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.0 APG) were also modest, he played a key role in the Raptors’ championship run, holding Nikola Vucevic and Joel Embiid in check during the first two rounds, then helping to protect the rim against the Bucks and Warriors – two of the NBA’s most dangerous offenses – in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
With Gasol’s salary for next season now locked in, the Raptors are already over the projected $109MM cap, and haven’t yet accounted for potential new deals for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. If Leonard returns, he’d receive a maximum-salary contract ($32.7MM), while Green seems unlikely to take a pay cut on last year’s $10MM salary. In other words, if Toronto wants to bring back its entire core, the team will be way over the projected $132MM tax line.
By picking up his option, Gasol joins several veterans teammates as potential 2020 free agents. Currently, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam are all on track to reach free agency in 2020, though Siakam would be restricted. Norman Powell and OG Anunoby are the only Raptors under contract beyond next season.
With Saturday’s deadline looming, only two player-option decisions – Nene (Rockets) and Nerlens Noel (Thunder) – have yet to be reported.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AND tillman bitches about CP3s contract … this one seems like a GIANT overpay.
It is a giant overpay but he fits the scheme perfectly. There will be lots of overpays – perhaps not for a $33 million center.
25.6m
Pretty sure it’s a player option the knew would be exercised. Y’all making it sound like it was a new contract. Also, for a GIANT overpay, it helped bring a GIANT banner.
Well only a 25 mill center who still has a little left in the tank. Compare to PG who going to make what 35+ now that a over pay since he good for at least one injury a season
Well you see there’s the issue with Paul never getting out of the second round. Overpaying for your starting center on your team that just won a championship? That doesn’t hurt at all.
Well, duh!
Of course Marc picked up the option. He wouldn’t get anywhere close to that on the FA market, he is a great fit for the Raps, and if Claw comes back, he has a shot at another title.
Not an overpay, because it’s an existing contract. But even if it weren’t, it’s not an overpay. He could get 1 year @ 25 mm with a contender easily, if any had the space, and (if not) the Raps can trade this contract and get something for it. Same nonsense was out there about Mike Conley’s contract, yet now it’s conclusive that it had value (meaning it wasn’t an overpay).
DXC you are usually spot on BUT no friggin way he gets a 25 mil contract this offseason that is why he opted IN bro… he would be lucky to get 15mil a year at max a two year deal.
Wow. 15 mil per for a HOFer centre just out ofnhisnprime but still an all star level?? You obviously didn’t watch many raps games down the stretch. Gasol would easily fetch over 20 on a 2 year deal
20m per or total
he may be a HOFER but he is not all star anymore … don’t shoot the messenger.
Joker,Gobert,Capela,Horford,Embid
Drummond,Turner,Kat,Adams,Davis,Niko would all be allstars ahead of him maybe even add Nurkic,Ayton,Gabriel,Whiteside …. all of these guys had better numbers and are gonna have better 2020 probably … dont be a homer there is not a team that would give him 20 mil over 2 years this off season … HENCE WHY HE OPTED IN …
he would get the kind of deal that Dwight Howard got recently and that team quickly traded him as they regretted it … Gasol on the court value is say 10 mil… his locker room iq value is say 5 mil… .so I would think he would get a 2 year 30 mil deal right now TOPS and not from a team that has ton of cap space to chase super stars
He didn’t have great numbers because he passed the ball and played defense. something most of the centers on the list you put up don’t do. I agree he wouldn’t get a ton on of money on the free agent market, but he’s still miles better on D than 90 percent of the centers on your list.
No he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t get a Jeter contact out in a cap restricted market. 10-15m at best per year, 2 years max.
If you’re a contender without a C, and 25 mm in cap space, you’d do what with it (versus signing him for 1 year) – ?? The guy is still an elite defender and about as high an IQ big as there is. He’s not a multi-year guy at his age, but I think he can put a team over the top (because he kind of just did).
Not really a contender that needs one more piece, but I think a team like the Kings easily could have offered him that kind of deal.
They had trade interest in him during the season, Cauley-Stein is probably leaving, and they’ll have plenty of cap room.
Yes. I was thinking Boston, which didn’t want to commit long term to Horford, might be interested. Even the Nets. If they sign KI, but can’t get a second guy. Allen is a great talent, but, at this point, he’s still too small / skinny to deal with certain C’s (not just Embid). He can play with Gasol more easily than Ibaka can.
All moot because he’s not a UFA. But if Raps don’t resign KL, and they sputter, I could see him being traded at the deadline to any of the teams that might have signed him for a year, and the Raps will get something for him. If a contract can be traded for value, it’s not a bad contract.
Under the theoretical conditions of late in free agency with Horford, Lopez, & Favors gone, for a team with capspace, Gasol could get a 1/25 IMO. Not as confident about a longer deal. Like, 2/35 is pushing too much. So I guess I agree with everyone, but people did not get DXC’s point.
@ DXC he is not really an elite anything anymore … he is an above average team defender …above average passer overall…. he has never been elite on the boards … I mean I get that your a FAN of his and that’s sweet… but there is not a GM that would take Gasol right now over the guys I just listed … especially 90 percent of them as you said they guy had a awesome run but his big contract days are behind him.
His big $$ multi-year contract days are behind him, but he’s worth his 25 mm this year. Certainly worth it to Toronto, this coming year – particularly ahead of KL’s decision, when they can’t replace him. Team specific, yes, but that’s really how (and why) most people are paid. A guy opting in suggests he’s not underpaid, it doesn’t (particularly with a ring) suggest he’s overpaid.
Not sure what numbers you’re referring to, but the most used metrics still put him among the top C’s in the game – top 10 comfortably, ahead of some of the guys you mentioned (although if, unlike Toronto, I had a choice of guys for multi-year deals, I’d pick almost all of those guys, except “Gabriel”, since I don’t know who he is). I’m not any particular fan of Gasol, other than preferring high IQ players.
I’m sure after the raps championship run the tax line isnt even in their rearview mirror. This team probably took in hundreds of millions in added revenue through tickets, merch, advertising and sponsorship
One of the few smart players out there. Know your market value.
What’s the highest 1-year deal the Sixers gave Reddick?
Yea that doesn’t even compare. Sixers were tanking for 5 yrs and needed to bring in a veteran at any cost to say Hey, we are serious now. Is there a market out there for any player like that right now?
There was last year. Ariza at 15 mm. Parker for 20 mm (essentially a 1 year). D.Jordan for 23 mm. This year, we’ll see. But, with the cap rules being what they are, when a guy is willing to take 1 year, he should get a premium.
No surprise here . He get to play for a championship team and make 25 mill. I doubt he would make that if he was a free agent
Dude though would be so good to learn to feel comfortable shooting a three.
If the luxury tax payment is too much for ownership, which I doubt considering how much money they made during the historic championship run, then trade Gasol. In the NBA there are no untradeable contracts and it’s a 1 year expiring deal. If Masai could at least get a warm body back and maybe throw in a couple of 2nd rounders to get it done I’d be okay with that.
People on here are crazy. Think Gasol would get $10m or $20m with all the teams that have cap space. He would get $50m min, probably $60m or more. There are so many teams with space and only so many bad contracts to give out. What did Mozgov and Biyombo get, like $70m? Jimmy Butler is getting $200m? And people think Gasol would get less than $25m? What a lame joke.
It wasn’t an over pay since he had a player option at 25 mil
Was he worth it on an individual statistical model—model ? Absolutely not BUT most players are not.
Was he worth it on a team model with his IQ, defense, and leadership—absolutely.
I would venture to say that Leonard won us the championship BUT Gasol got us in a position to win it—his defense on Vuc and especially on Embiid was huge.