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Adrian WojnarowskiESPN
The San Antonio Spurs and center Pau Gasol have agreed on a contract buyout, clearing the way for the six-time All-Star to join the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told ESPN.
Players have to be waived by 11:59 p.m. ET Friday to become available for activation in the playoffs. Milwaukee currently leads the Eastern Conference with a 47-14 record.
This sets the stage for the Gasol brothers to compete in pursuit of the conference championship. Marc Gasol joined the Toronto Raptors (45-17) last month in a trade-deadline deal with Memphis.
Pau Gasol fortifies a Bucks team that added forward Nikola Mirotic at the trade deadline. Gasol is expected to play center minutes behind Brook Lopez, who is averaging 28 minutes per game.
Gasol, 38, saw his role diminish with the Spurs this season, partly due to him missing 26 games with a stress fracture in his foot.
He was guaranteed $6.7 million of his $16 million salary in 2019-20. He is earning $16 million this season.
Gasol is averaging career lows of 4.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 12.2 minutes. He has averaged 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds during his 18-year NBA career, which included two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.