Ramona Shelburne, Tracy McGrady and Tom Thibodeau share their thoughts on the Raptors' acquisition of Marc Gasol. (1:27) The Memphis Grizzlies have traded center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles and a 2024 second-round draft pick. The Grizzlies, however, kept Mike Conley after discussing deals for their franchise point guard with multiple teams. "Marc brings significant playoff experience to our team, which along with his savviness and leadership skills really helps position us for our ultimate postseason goal," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Thursday night. "We look forward to welcoming Marc to our city and team." Head coach Nick Nurse said he believes Gasol's experience will give the Raptors "a settling force" come playoff time. "I think that there's a lot of positives with a guy like Gasol, and I think most of them come with being battle-tested," Nurse said. "I think we all know that those playoffs can get wild and woolly, and he's a guy that's been through them many times." In a separate deal, the Raptors traded veteran center Greg Monroe and a 2021 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for cash considerations. The Nets then waived the 28-year-old Monroe, who averaged 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game during his first season with the Raptors. Gasol, 34, is averaging 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.7 assists (which ranks second among NBA centers, trailing only Nikola Jokic's 7.7). He is the Grizzlies' franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks and field goals made. It is a power move for Toronto, as it looks to improve its roster as it vies with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, among others, in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers and Bucks also made major moves ahead of the trade deadline, with Philly landing Tobias Harris and Milwaukee getting Nikola Mirotic. Gasol has been with the Grizzlies for 11 seasons, which was tied with Russell Westbrook for the fourth-longest tenure with one franchise among active players. Conley is third at 12 seasons. A three-time All-Star and the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol has a 15 percent trade bonus that is valued at $1.28 million. The amount of his bonus (if not waived) will be applied to his $24.1 million salary. Gasol also has a $25.6 million player option for next season. The 7-foot Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds this season. He had surgery after suffering a dislocated left thumb on Dec. 12 and has not played since. Prior to the trade, the Raptors had expected the center to return against Atlanta on Thursday night, with the team tweeting out a picture of Valanciunas with a quote from him saying, "I'm back." The 26-year-old Wright, who was selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2015 draft, is averaging 6.9 points, 2.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 18.3 minutes of action per game this season. Miles, 31, is averaging 5.5 points and 1.7 rebounds this season. Valanciunas, Wright and Miles can become free agents next season. Miles ($8.7 million) and Valanciunas ($17.6 million) have player options, while Wright will become a restricted free agent and is eligible to receive a $3.6 million qualifying offer in June. Memphis is currently $668,000 below the luxury tax threshold. Memphis also waived forward Omri Casspi to get its roster down to the NBA limit of 15. Casspi, 30, has been sidelined with a knee injury, and his return this season wasn't guaranteed. He averaged 6.3 points in 36 games with Memphis this season. ESPN's Bobby Marks and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>The Toronto Raptors made a splash at the NBA trade deadline acquiring All-Star center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. How will this former All-NBA big man help push Toronto past their Eastern rivals? Following significant deals from other Eastern conference powers Milwaukee and Philadelphia, the Toronto Raptors would not go quietly into the weekend without making a big deal of their own. The Raptors poached three-time All-Star Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 2nd-round pick. Philadelphia started everything off by acquiring sharpshooter Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers and the Bucks sniped stretch-four Nikola Mirotic from the Pelicans. Indiana has been linked to Wesley Matthews and even though Boston stayed quiet, they are still arguably the East’s biggest threat. Raptors President Masai Ujiri isn’t one to make big deadline deals. His biggest acquisition at this juncture in previous years was P.J. Tucker (Although the Serge Ibaka deal was deadline-ish). But with all the upgrades the Raptors’ rivals were making, he had to do something. And he did more than that. Gasol is the biggest addition out of all these deadline moves. Not only does he have the most accolades and playoff experience of the players acquired, but he also bolsters the team’s overall competence in both sides of the ball. A great part about this deal is Toronto didn’t have to surrender another first-round draft pick or part ways with an invaluable player from the rotation. Gasol is much better than Valanciunas, and while Wright will be missed, other players can fill his minutes. Gasol is a stud and will push the Raptors into another level. But will he be enough to lead them past the other elite Eastern teams? Here’s his full scouting report.<doc-sep>The decision by the Raptors to acquire Marc Gasol on Thursday was done with a purpose. In trading for the three-time All-Star, it shows Kawhi Leonard that the organization is committed to going all-in for a championship this season. Toronto was already a serious contender in the Eastern Conference, and getting a veteran low-post presence who is crafty around the rim can help in the postseason when you have to grind out victories. NBA TRADE DEADLINE: Biggest winners and losers On the court, Gasol should mesh nicely with Leonard. When backing down in the post, Gasol has tremendous court vision and can draw attention that allows Leonard to slash to the basket. He also can draw double-teams, which leaves another teammate open, such as sharpshooter Danny Green. Gasol has the versatility to space the floor and make shots from the perimeter. In drawing a bigger defender away from the basket, lanes open for Leonard to attack the rim. Was this decision made with the inclination to win now? Yes. But the bigger payout in the ordeal would be to entice Leonard, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, to re-sign with Toronto long term. The Raptors stand in second place in the Eastern Conference and trail the Bucks by just 1.5 games. It will be important for them to try to secure the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs to have home-court advantage, especially considering the Raptors are just 1-3 this season against the Bucks. The biggest threat to Leonard leaving is most certainly Los Angeles, with the Lakers and Clippers on the hunt for big names. Reports surfaced last week that Leonard even purchased a home in the area. However, this is worth the gamble for Toronto. MORE: Ranking worst trades of last decade If Toronto makes it to the Finals, how can Leonard walk away? Despite three main competitors in the Celtics, 76ers and Bucks, the path through the East is less of a gauntlet than what is presently constituted in the Western Conference. A deep playoff run would give the team national exposure to other incoming free agents. Instead of Leonard leaving to start or join a super team in Los Angeles, why not make one of his own in Toronto, where he can be the unquestioned leader? If Leonard wins in Toronto and gives the franchise its first championship, he will be immortalized not only in the city, but in all of Canada. The blueprint of trading for a superstar player with one year on his contract has worked before. The Thunder acquired Paul George before last season with the idea of giving George a look at their culture and using the season as a year-long recruitment for a long-term deal. The gamble ultimately paid off for the Thunder when George signed long term and spurned the Lakers. Toronto hopes Leonard follows suit.<doc-sep>
The Raptors acquired the three-time All-Star and one-time Defensive Player of the Year ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. Marc Gasol will make his debut with the Toronto Raptors on Saturday when the team takes on the New York Knicks, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Marc Gasol will play tonight. Off bench tonight - Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 9, 2019 The Raptors acquired Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of Thursday's trade deadline for Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round pick. In 53 games with the Grizzlies this season, Gasol averaged 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per contest on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range. His last game in a Grizzlies uniform was against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Gasol finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the 96-84 win. MORE: 76ers, Bucks or Raptors make best deadline move? While not the player he once was, Gasol should fit in well with the Raptors as a shooter, post scorer, passer and defender. He's long been one of the most well-rounded big men in the NBA and he's extended his range out to the perimeter in recent years, with Brook Lopez being the only centre who has made more 3-pointers than him since the start of the 2016-17 season. Gasol told reporters before Saturday's game that having an opportunity to compete for a title "gets the juices flowing." For more on how Gasol fits in with his new team, click here.