Luis Scola appears to be headed for Toronto, tweeting the following just after midnight on July 9th, the first day that free agents can officially sign new deals:
We the north…
Here I come
:)
— Luis Scola (@LScola4) July 9, 2015
Remembering what Luis first tweeted out when he got word in 2013 while in Buenos Aires that he was being traded to the Pacers, I followed up with:
And you thought you needed a jacket for Indy… Just wait for Toronto. 💨🇨🇦 https://t.co/ZeabfzsKY8
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 9, 2015
Pacers President Larry Bird has appreciated Scola’s game for quite some time and so when Phoenix made him available in July, 2013, he traded for him. It cost the Pacers their first-round pick in 2014 and 2012 first-round pick Miles Plumlee, but they were able to unload Gerald Green’s bad contract.
Back on May 22nd, Scola told VigilantSports.com that there was mutual interest in him returning..
“Larry told me he wants me back and I told him that I want to be back,” Scola said while visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time. “In between those two things, [there’s] this huge gap that we got to fill. We’ll see how it goes.”
The three-time Olympian is going to Toronto on a one-year deal worth nearly $3 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Scola’s four children were always in the locker room and out by the court, especially his oldest, 9-year-old Tiago.
As I reported earlier Wednesday, a source close to Scola told VigilantSports.com that the Pacers did not reach out to the power forward, which suggests they are truly determined to play smaller and faster as they’ve indicated numerous times, and it may also mean plenty of minutes for Paul George at the four.
Scola was Mr. Dependable, only missing one game since 2011 — this last season, a coach’s decision as Frank Vogel wanted to give Lavoy Allen an opportunity — and just nine games over his eight-year career.
The Raptors are moving from one ex-Pacer backup power forward to the next. Scola enters as Tyler Hansbrough hits free agency.
Other Pacers are on the move. David West has already decided to join the Spurs for the veteran’s minimum, and reserve point guard C.J. Watson agreed to terms with Orlando.
Scola, who turned 35 in April, has averaged 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and shot 49.7 percent from the field in 631 career regular-season games.