With the emergence of Jakob Poeltl, the San Antonio Spurs could look to trade veteran big man Pau Gasol at the Feb. 7 trade deadline, but they might not have much luck.
According to Jabari Young of The Athletic, a league executive doesn't think Pau Gasol has any trade value at this stage of his career:
Since returning, Gasol is averaging 10.3 minutes in the last nine games, averaging two points and 4.2 rebounds. He could be attractive to a team looking to add a veteran presence, but Gasol’s $16 million salary makes a trade unlikely.
“I just don’t see him having any trade value,” one league executive told The Athletic.
Pau Gasol missed significant time with a foot injury and Poeltl surpassed the future Hall of Famer in the Spurs' rotation. Gasol is making $16 million this season and has $6.7 million guaranteed in the 2019-20 season.
In 18 games this year for San Antonio, Gasol is averaging 4.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc and 73.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Spurs acquired Jakob Poeltl from the Toronto Raptors in the Kawhi Leonard trade. Poeltl is an active frontcourt player who is more valuable than Gasol. Poeltl is averaging 5.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists on the year.