Pau Gasol weighed in on Nikola Mirotic's departure from Barcelona / News - Basketnews.com

Pau Gasol commented on Barcelona's move to let Nikola Mirotic know they're going to terminate his contract at the end of the season. The basketball legend thinks the decision might become "an important distraction" for the Catalan side.

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Pau Gasol is experiencing the ACB finals between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid from the commentator's position. On Friday night, the Catalans prevailed by 97-88 in Game 1.

Pau Gasol

Position:PFAge:42Height:213 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:Barcelona, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

However, Barca are also trying to limit the potential damages following Nikola Mirotic's interview with El Mundo Deportivo which confirmed the report by TV3 stating that the club has communicated to the player their wish to go separate ways for financial reasons.

"For this news to come out now is something that can happen, although it is not ideal," Gasol commented. "It can be an important distraction," said the former player in an interview with MARCA as part of the presentation of the Pau Gasol Academy.

The Lakers legend was teammates with Mirotic in the 2020-21 season, Pau's career-last. Even thoughMirotic's farewell has not been, in any case, made official by Barca, Gasol pointed out that this information is not entirely new.

"Due to the financial situation of the club, it seems inevitable," he explained. In any case, the player maintains that Barca must "block out external noise" and stressed the importance of keeping the focus on the series against Madrid.

"Mirotic's concentration and that of the team is very important. Now they will ask the team what they think about this", he said. In fact, a statement by general manager Juan Carlos Navarro on Barca TV confirmed Gasol's predictions. "He was informed of our decision long ago," Navarro said, while coach Sarunas Jasikevicius also offered a comment on the situation.

The 43-year-old retired player is forecasting a "very competitive" final series.

"There are always many external factors that can influence and we will see if Barcelona are capable of winning the ACB League because they have not won any of the important titles and overcome all the distractions. They will have to show that they are a great team to beat Real Madrid," explained the Catalan.

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