5 NBA teams that should take a flier on Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol is looking to make an NBA comeback. These five teams should consider giving him a flier.

Pau Gasol hasn’t played in an NBA game since March of 2019. He’s 40 years old, has undergone two surgeries to repair stress fractures in the navicular bone in his left foot since he last played, and he reportedly still has some work to do on his conditioning.

But NBA teams will still have an interest in him. Why? Because he’s Pau Gasol, and he’s making a comeback.

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Gasol is attempting to return to the association this season and is eyeing a reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers and his brother Marc Gasol in particular. The last we saw of the six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, he spent the 2018-19 season with two different teams.

Gasol started that season with the San Antonio Spurs before being bought out and latching onto the Milwaukee Bucks. He played three games with the Bucks before a left ankle injury in March ended his season. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer but was waived in November before ever playing a game for the team.

Lowe reports a few teams have reached out about training camp spots, but which teams would make the most sense as a potential landing spot? It’d most likely be playoff contenders that can afford to add him to the edge of their roster for his veteran leadership, playoff experience, depth in a pinch and, let’s be honest, the feel-good novelty of having such a well-liked guy on the roster.

Bearing all that in mind, here are five NBA teams that might make sense for Gasol’s comeback.