THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Jorge Garbajosa and the Toronto Raptors have officially parted company.
The Raptors reached an agreement to buy out the contract of Garbajosa, the Spanish forward whose career in Toronto was cut short by a serious leg injury.
"After a long, difficult and sometimes emotional process stemming from a traumatic injury to a key player, it was concluded that parting ways was the best thing for both Jorge and the Raptors organization," Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo said in a statement Wednesday. "We wish Jorge nothing but the best with his basketball future."
The move ends the lengthy and sometimes contentious negotiations between Colangelo, Garbajosa, the Spanish Basketball Federation and its insurance company. The Raptors announced they had reached a settlement with the federation regarding the claim filed by the team in connection with the non-payment of insurance proceeds related to Garbajosa’s injury.
"We are pleased that an acceptable resolution was reached and we can finally put this behind us," said Colangelo, who flew to Madrid on Tuesday to complete the negotiations.
The six-foot-nine forward, who had one year and US$4.25 million left on his contract, played just seven games this past season after tests showed the gruesome leg injury that prematurely ended his rookie season hadn’t fully healed.
Garbajosa was still on the mend from his injury when he played for Spain in last summer’s European championships, against the Raptors’ recommendations and only after the Spanish federation took out a $1-million insurance policy on the forward.
Garbajosa joined the Raptors in 2006 as a 29-year-old rookie but suffered a broken leg and displaced ankle in a game in Boston on March 26, 2007, missing the remainder of the season and playoffs.
While Garbajosa’s release may mean the end of his NBA career, the buyout allows the veteran forward to play for Spain at the Beijing Olympics in August.
"The doctors are happy with how I’m feeling," Garbajosa said in a Spanish Basketball Federation release. "Aito (Spanish coach Garcia Reneses) has spoken to me several times and he is interested in my situation.".
The Spanish federation is happy to have the veteran forward back in the mix for Beijing.
"Jorge is perfectly recovered from his injury and this for us is the best news," federation president Joe Luis Saez said in a statement. "To be able to have Jorge with us is gratifying because he is a player that has given everything to the national team and he wants to continue to give it."
