Barcelona HC: Marc Gasol Contract Talks Have Not Been Held Despite Rumors

Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius said the club has not had talks with Marc Gasol about joining the team despite rumors the former NBA All-Star has chosen to return to Spain for the end of his basketball career. 

"We have not talked with him. But we don't have to rush: if there will be a real chance, we will go for it," Jasikevicius told Gigantes del Basket.

Spanish journalist Sergi Carmona (h/t Sports Illustrated's Aaron Rose) reported Wednesday Gasol was set to sign with Barcelona.

Gasol has made no formal announcement about his playing status. The 35-year-old played for Barcelona from 2003-2006 before coming to the NBA.

Gasol spent the last season and a half with the Toronto Raptors, winning his first championship in 2019 before a largely disappointing individual season in 2019-20. He averaged 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the regular season, missing several games due to injury and acclimating to a role where he played just 26.3 minutes per game.

Signs of aging were even more obvious during the NBA's restart in Orlando, with Gasol shooting a ghastly 18.5 percent from three and being played off the court several times during the postseason. The restart was arguably the worst stretch of basketball in Gasol's NBA career.

A move back to Spain would follow a similar end-of-career transition for brother Pau Gasol, who already made plans to join Barcelona. The elder Gasol missed the entire 2019-20 season while recovering from a foot injury. It is not entirely clear whether Pau will be cleared to play for Barcelona next season.