Marc Gasol agrees to 5-year, $100 million deal with Grizzlies

According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies have agreed on a max contract to keep Marc Gasol in Memphis. It was really just a matter of time for Gasol. The person spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.

Unlike LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, Gasol was not among the free agents who did much touring, presumably because he has no reason to leave Memphis. Probably because he knew where he was going to end up all along.

The 7-foot-1 center from Spain has been a pivotal player in the best five seasons in Grizzlies’ history. He has a comfort level there, plus this is a team that has made the playoffs the last five years and the conference Finals once with Gasol.

He averaged 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds a year ago and gained the interest of several teams.

Locking up Gasol for the next five years gives Memphis a dominant big man to continue to build around.

He became a member of the Grizzlies when he was in a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau in 2008.

With the deal now set, the Grizzlies are seen as a championship contender. It may need to find power forward help as Zach Randolph is regressing at a rate far greater than the younger Gasol.

The Grizzlies also have won at least 50 games in the past three seasons.

With Gasol’s stay practically in the bag, the Grizzlies may want to load up on their snipers to make life easier for the Spaniard inside the shaded area.

Gasol, 30, never seriously considered leaving the Grizzlies. Unfortunately, they had to play the eventual champion Golden State Warriors without Mike Conley for the first couple of game.