NBA Trade Grades: Raptors land Marc Gasol from Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
On a day that saw the Grizzlies ship out Gasol, JaMychal Green, Garrett Temple and Shelvin Mack (but somehow not Mike Conley), the returns for all their deals failed to conjure up much excitement.
On the surface, adding a capable big man like JV to replace Big Spain is a win, as is a young point guard with terrific potential like Wright. Miles is having a down year, but he’s been a reliable floor-spacer throughout his career.
Unfortunately, being unable to secure a first round pick for Gasol is a slight disappointment, even with his age and injury history factored in. In a vacuum this deal is sound, but it’s also a stark reminder that Memphis waited a year (or two) too late to pull the trigger on the inevitable rebuild pretty much everyone saw coming. You know, before the team lost 22 of its last 28 games.
Short reaction: Everything the Grizzlies did was probably worth doing in the absence of better options, but is collectively very underwhelming.
— Chris Herrington (@ChrisHerrington) February 7, 2019
Even with Gasol gone and Conley wasting away on an even worse roster, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Grizz. Delon Wright is a legitimately good player at 26 years old, contrary to what his numbers might indicate.
Though he’s only averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 18.3 minutes per game on .433/.333/.869 shooting splits this year, he also plays in a crowded Toronto backcourt that prominently features Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
In Memphis, he’ll get the chance to learn from Mike Conley before ultimately attempting to replace him (most likely around the draft, when Conley trade talks will pick up again) as the team’s new starting point guard.
OK I like getting Delon Wright. That’s good. That’s a good thing.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) February 7, 2019
All three players can hit free agency this summer, with Wright being a restricted free agent, Jonas Valanciunas possessing a $17.6 million player option and C.J. Miles owning an $8.7 million player option of his own.
More than likely, JV will opt in rather than leave that kind of money on the table. Miles could go either way, but more than likely, an offer of that size won’t be available to him in free agency unless he really turns around his 31.4 percent conversion rate from 3 over the next two months in Memphis.
Having JV and Miles on the books for 2019-20 isn’t the end of the world, since they’re not good enough to prevent an incoming tank job, but also still capable enough to prevent this team from truly sinking to the depths of the Western Conference barrel.
Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in just 17.8 minutes per game this season, and both will become valuable expiring contracts to use in trades before next year’s deadline.
Paying Wright this summer is pretty much a necessity no matter what happens with JV and Miles, though there’s inherent risk down that road compared to the Charlotte Hornets trade that was discussed all day:
Opting for a second round pick way down the line is the better option, since the Raptors could very well be in rebuild mode by 2024, but overall this return — while decent enough for 2018-19 Marc Gasol — won’t dull the pain of losing one of the faces of the Grit-N-Grind era.
Grade: B-