Marc Gasol Remaining in Toronto, Opts into $25.6-Million Player Option

By all accounts, it was a no-brainer.

On Wednesday afternoon, Marc Gasol opted into the final year of his contract and is set to make $25.6-million in the upcoming season as a member of the Toronto Raptors. The Spaniard was a trade deadline acquisition of the Raptors after spending the entirety of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Turning into a vital piece to the championship puzzle, the Raptors evolved into the best three-point shooting team in the league post-deadline with Gasol in the fold. Moreover, it cannot be overstated how valuable Gasol’s presence has been for the Raptors during their magical postseason run, especially on the defensive end, where Gasol was tasked with slowing down the likes of All-Stars Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, DeMarcus Cousins, and at times even Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol is exercising his $25.6M player option for next season, returning to the defending NBA champions, league sources tell ESPN. Gasol could’ve entered free agency.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2019

At 34-years old, Gasol’s opt-in was more than predictable.

For one thing, the Raptors are currently favourites to re-sign Kawhi Leonard and are expected to compete for a championship once again next year. Furthermore, if Gasol declined his 2019-20 option, he would not receive any offer that would be remotely close to the $25.6-million amount that he would receive next year.

Gasol averaged 13.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last year, split between the Raptors and Grizzlies.