One hour before the trade deadline, Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Memphis Grizzlies were finalizing a deal to send Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors. Here’s what the trade looks like.
Memphis Receives: Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, 2024 Second-Round Pick
Toronto Receives: Marc Gasol
Amidst the numerous trades among Eastern Conference rivals, the Raptors needed to make a move. The Grizzlies had expressed their openness to trading away Gasol, and they finally found a deal for him. The question is, who actually won the trade?
Toronto Raptors
Masai Ujiri isn’t one to succumb to the pressure of trade deadline drama, but there’s no doubt that he began to sweat after seeing the 76ers’ and Bucks’ deals. By landing Gasol, the Raptors gain an elite rebounder, a consistent shooting big/pick-and-roll master, and arguably a top 10 center in the NBA.
Gasol has been in a steady decline the past three years points-wise, but he’s still playing at an impressive pace for a 34-year-old. He’s averaging just under 16 PPG, and 8.6 RPG, as well as almost 5 assists per game. He’s shooting at 34% from beyond the arc on four and will bring shooting to Toronto, something that the Raptors currently lack.
The Spaniard also boasts an incredible defensive arsenal. Gasol is a former Defensive Player of the Year and is currently averaging 1.2 BPG and 1.1 SPG. Toronto is now loaded with defensive talent, and this deal may just put them at the top of the league on the defensive end of the floor.
In order to land Marc Gasol, the Raptors had to give up some depth, but it isn’t without justification. Delon Wright will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, and he’ll most likely be offered more than the Raptors would be comfortable paying. CJ Miles has been straight up bad for the Raptors this season, and it’s obvious he’s declining fast. As impactful as Jonas Valanciunas has been in the past, he’s missed close to half the season with injuries. Gasol is a significant upgrade over all these players.
One downside to the trade is that Marc Gasol is 34 years old. He’s a handful of years out of his prime, and giving up a young center in JV for him could be quite a high risk. Gasol is by far the superior basketball player to Jonas, but being eight years older means he’ll only be declining. Being in win-now mode, the Raptors aren’t thinking long-term in this trade.
Even though the Raptors are taking on Gasol’s $24 million contract, they were actually able to shed almost $3 million from their payroll. Toronto was able to get rid of Jonas Valanciunas’ contract. He’s being paid $18 million and has a player-option next year, as well as CJ Miles and his $8 million player-option. Gasol also has a player-option next year that he’ll almost certainly pick up, but paying him is much more justified than JV and CJ.
Toronto will be hoping that having another big-time player on the squad will convince Kawhi Leonard to re-sign.
Raptors Trade Grade: A-
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are in rebuild mode. They’re currently second-to-last in the Western Conference after an incredibly hot start to the season. Now, they’ve finally decided to blow it up. Part of their rebuild plan was to move the massive contracts of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Although they chose to keep Conley as a mentor to their young talent, the Grizzlies ultimately decided to move Gasol.
Marc Gasol’s $24 million contract was much too big for the Grizzlies, especially at his age. He’ll likely opt-in to his player-option next year, and that was too much of a risk for Memphis to take. In return for the big man, the Grizzlies received C Jonas Valanciunas, G Delon Wright, G/F CJ Miles, and a future second round pick.
Both CJ Miles and Jonas Valanciunas have player-options this offseason. JV is a solid young center who’s just about to start his prime. Although he’s paid a lot, he’s a solid asset to have. CJ, on the other hand, has been more than disappointing for the Raptors this year, and Memphis will hope that he opts-out (although it’s very doubtful he does).
Delon Wright has a bright future in this league. He is a restricted free agent this summer, and his asking price will probably be high, but the Grizzlies will probably match whatever offer Delon receives. He’ll continue to improve, and although he may never be an All-Star, Wright could be a valuable piece to this Memphis team for years to come.
With Marc Gasol growing older, his trade value has declined. The Grizzlies needed to trade him away, and this Raptors trade may have been the best offer. Memphis is receiving two solid young pieces and a future pick, but they also have to deal with CJ Miles’ contract. The Grizz needed to dump Gasol’s salary somewhere, while getting young talent in return, and they were able to do just that, to an extent.
Memphis Trade Grade: B
Conclusion
Both team’s got mostly what they needed in this trade. The Raptors received another big-name player in hopes of pushing them closer to the top of the East, and the Grizzlies were able to get rid of Gasol’s large contract while acquiring young talent in return.
In my opinion, the Toronto Raptors won this trade. Adding another high-caliber player will increase their chances of making a deep playoff run and hopefully, increase their chances of re-signing Kawhi. Memphis was able to get rid of Marc Gasol, but they ended up acquiring $3 million more in payroll. They’ll probably have to pay CJ and JV for another season, and if they want to keep Delon Wright, they’ll need to match a large offer sheet. In no way was this a bad trade for the Grizzlies, but I find it hard to believe this was their best option.
Trade Winner: Toronto Raptors
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