Marc Gasol Exercises $25.6M Player Option on Contract to Stay with Raptors

Fresh off winning an NBA title, Marc Gasol will return to the Toronto Raptors in 2019-20 after opting into the final year of his contract on Wednesday, the team announced.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.women nfl jerseys

It seemed like a given Gasol would be back with Toronto. The three-time All-Star is set to make $25.595 million next season, per Spotrac.nfl womens jerseys

Even though Gasol remains a productive center, it wasn’t likely he would be able to make that kind of money on the open market. The 34-year-old had a successful transition with the Raptors after being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February. nfl cheap jerseyhi-res-df8d3b5f60fbd05ae8d31b03387bcbe1_crop_north

Gasol’s new teammates raved about his performance down the stretch and in the playoffs, especially on defense.

“He doesn’t care about anything but winning, and he does whatever,” Kyle Lowry told reporters during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. “Marc hasn’t had a big scoring game but maybe once since he’s been here, and he’s been effective on our team. It’s contagious: his unselfishness, his defense, his rotations, his smarts. Everything has been effective on our team.”nfl jersey store

Another key selling point for Gasol to remain in Toronto is team success. He went from a rebuilding situation with the Grizzlies to arguably the most complete and well-rounded team in the NBA that helped him win his first title after 11 seasons in the league.

The Raptors have put together a terrific nucleus of talent that has enabled them to win at least 50 games in each of the past four seasons. nfl china jerseys

Gasol’s window as a prominent force on the court is slowly winding down. He had a successful bounce-back campaign in 2018-19, appearing in 79 games and averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per night with a 36.3 three-point percentage. nfl jerseys cheap jerseys

As the Raptors look to continue their run of dominance in the Eastern Conference, Gasol’s return ensures they will maintain a strong frontcourt presence. my cheap nfl jerseys

Philadelphia Hopeful of Re-Signing Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler

The Philadelphia 76ers could lose both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris in free agency this summer, but the team is “privately expressing confidence” that it can re-sign both players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski  where can i get nfl jerseys cheap

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets are also pushing for Butler and are reportedly willing to deal away Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker in order clear cap space.hi-res-84ee8b81126fb2f3f2a7883dd9800c9a_crop_north

As Wojnarowski previously noted, the 76ers can offer a five-year, $190 million contract while the Rockets would only be able to give him $140 million over four years.

Considering Houston has been in title contention over the past two years with the current roster, losing its supporting cast without securing a commitment from Butler appears to be a significant risk. women nfl jerseys

Meanwhile, the 76ers are confident they can keep both players they acquired through trades last season.nfl jerseys cheap jerseys

Butler joined the team in November, averaging 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 55 games while playing quality perimeter defense. Harris only played 27 contests with the team after a February deadline trade, but he averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 nfl china jerseys rebounds per game.nfl jersey store

The hope was these two players would push Philadelphia over the hump in the Eastern Conference, but the squad was eliminated in the second round for the second year in a row.

Still, the Sixers took the eventual champion Toronto Raptors to seven games before a Kawhi Leonard miracle shot ended their season. With the same players over a full year, this could be a title contender in 2019-20. nfl cheap jersey

It will be up to Harris and Butler to decide if they want to run it back next season.