San Antonio Spurs player Pau Gasol actually asked the team to trade him prior to the NBA trade deadline on February 7, according to some reports. This leak about the 38-year-old Spanish power forward came after the deadline passed at 2 p.m. CT.
According to an article published by Pounding the Rock, ESPN Deportes reported that Pau Gasol was left with the Spurs after the deadline was reached against his will. They also reported that the player came forward to the franchise owners of the team about possible trading but it did not reach any avenue.
This could possibly explain why the audience saw Pau Gasol frequently in recent weeks. It could be speculated that he is trying to showcase his skills to teams who may want to get him.
Moreover, Pau Gasol may not be pleased with his role in Spurs as he previously admitted that his reduced role has been passed by Jakob Poeltl in the rotation. Currently, Jakob Poeltl returned to his spot ahead of Gasol, who is currently in the rotation.
Despite his frequent appearance in the few weeks, an article published by News4USA said that Pau Gasol's presence in the court was very limited this season. He appeared in some games and averaged 12.5 minutes and 4.4 points per game, which is a career-low for him.
Pau Gasol missed 26 games because of the left foot soreness he experienced this season. He also previously posted a season-high of 13 points on 6-to-8 shooting at New Orleans.
Some are speculating that Pau Gasol's hefty $16.8 million salary played a factor as to why the Spurs made him unable to move to other teams. He also owed $16 million next season to the team.
If the Spurs will waive Pau Gasol between July 1 and August 31, they can still use the stretch provision on their player. This would allow the franchise to pay if off Pau Gasol's salary over twice the number of years that are still remaining on his contract.
Pau Gasol became part of the Spurs after the legendary NBA player Tim Duncan took his retirement in 2016. The audience initially commended him in his first season for his strategic gameplay and threatening moves in the court.
However, Pau Gasol experienced a shoulder injury over the second half of last season. As mentioned before, his foot injury also made him miss some games this season and it could have cost his chances of being traded to other teams.
