DeAndre Jordan to Sign One-Year Deal with Lakers, Marc Gasol ‘Not a Lock to Return’
With DeAndre Jordan expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons deal is finalized, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Jordan will receive a one year deal worth $2.6 million from the purple and gold.
DeAndre Jordan is expected to sign a one-year, $2.6M deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after he clears waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 3, 2021
The major question now is how Jordan’s minutes play a part with Marc Gasol’s future. Los Angeles, who signed Dwight Howard in free agency and have Anthony Davis getting important minutes at center, have to deal with speculation and rumors that Gasol might not return to the roster next season.
The veteran center expressed his desire to play the next season with the Lakers after his stint with the Spanish team at the Tokyo Olympics, but NBA reporter Marc Stein has heard rumors that Gasol isn’t a ‘lock’ to return to the team.
I’m hearing that Marc Gasol is not a lock to return to the Lakers, even after Gasol said following Spain’s quarterfinal loss to the United States in the Olympics that he intends to play out the final year of the two-year deal he signed with Los Angeles. It’s not yet clear if that means Gasol is poised to be set free to play elsewhere in the NBA or if he would ultimately opt to finish his career in his home country like brother Pau.
Gasol’s first season as a Laker was a struggle. He didn’t just fall out of the starting lineup, but the rotation for a period when the team signed Andre Drummond. That move brought reports that he “considered asking for a buyout before opting to remain with the team.
The Lakers have 13 players with guaranteed contracts, Austin Reaves and Joseph Ayayi, who signed two way deals, with Chaundee Brown and Mac McClung signed to non-guaranteed deals.
Marc Gasol is under contract this season for $2.6 million.
