Photo : Marcio Jose Sanchez ( AP Photo The Memphis Grizzlies are swan-diving at a high rate of speed to the bottom of the West, and according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski they’re finally ready to see about trading away the two aging faces of the franchise, guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol. The team would likely need to get a lot back for either player if it hopes to assuage a fanbase that came into this season with some not entirely unjustified hope and dearly loves both stars. All of that promises to be pretty tricky. Advertisement Conley is 31, has dealt with some major injuries in recent seasons, and his contract, which was at one point the biggest in league history, still has two more extremely expensive seasons on it after this one. On top of that, he plays at the NBA’s deepest position; few, if any, of the teams with significant enough playoff ambitions to be in the market for an expensive 31-year-old star have either the need or the room for another point guard in their rotations. (On the other hand, Conley makes so much sense as a member of the San Antonio Spurs that I had to double-check just now to make sure he wasn’t already there. It’s time to make good on those Tony Parker comparisons from, uh, literally a decade ago.) That said, Conley is still really good, and still playing very well. Gasol might be even trickier. He’s older, at 33, has been dealing with a wide range of back and lower-body injuries for years, and can either opt into free agency this coming summer (not very appealing to certain potential suitors) or opt into one more very expensive season on his current contract (not very appealing to certain other potential suitors, or to anyone if his spine melts between now and July). More urgently, his performance has tumbled over a cliff this season. Also, at least according to abundant rumor, Gasol flexed his organizational clout to get Grizzlies coach David Fizdale fired last season, which one could imagine giving pause to prospective future employers. It seems very likely that he will only ever be able to approximate the player he used to be in severely limited use—say, as a 24-minutes-a-night guy off the bench. It’s quite possible, maybe even likely, that Gasol’s sentimental value to Grizzlies fans far outstrips his actual basketball value to pretty much any other team, at this point. The Los Angeles Lakers should trade for his ass! Look, man. What good is being by far the NBA’s richest, most glamorous, most magnetic franchise if you can’t dump some promising but unproven young players for an eroded 33-year-old short-timer deep into the downslope of his career just because he might make a fun pairing with LeBron James for, at most, two postseason runs? Come on! Picture Gasol and LeBron teaming up on wily, cool Old Man stuff on screens and at the elbow and then taking that weird crap into the playoffs, possibly even against the Warriors or Rockets, and then tell me that isn’t more appealing than waiting around for Lonzo Ball to learn how to shoot like a moderately polished 11th-grader someday. Picture a three-man center rotation of Washed Marc Gasol, Washed Tyson Chandler, and Washed JaVale McGee, and tell me that’s not infinitely more exciting than spending the next two seasons trying to convince yourself that Brandon Ingram looks like Kevin Durant when you squint extremely hard. You can’t! Because actually this is a good-ass idea (and for the lesser reason that I will delete your comment if you disagree)!! ! Some kind of Gasol-to-the-Lakers-for-some-quantity-of-their-young-punks trade makes sense for the Grizzlies, too. I know the bloom has come way off Lonzo’s rose, but if you remove the expectations implied by the second overall pick the Lakers used to nab him, he’s a big, athletic, and still super-young guard who has rounded into a fine defender and is already one of the game’s better and more creative passers. Sure, he’s a complete wreck as a scorer, but that’s why he’s being traded—in this scenario and almost certainly only in this scenario—for a broken-down old 33-year-old with hip and back problems. Pair Lonzo with the extremely exciting Jaren Jackson, Jr. and that’s a youthful tandem Grizzlies fans can get excited about. Or hell, do it with Ingram instead. I don’t give a damn!! ! Advertisement The Lakers would feel awfully stupid if Lonzo or Ingram turned out to be a superstar and all they got for them was a washed center, you are saying. True! But being the Lakers means not really having to—or maybe not being able to—care all that much about that sort of thing. That’s why they gave a four-year contract to LeBron James right before he turned 34 years old. They’re the Lakers. Brandon Ingram can go to Memphis and turn into George Gervin With Three-Point Range... and then the Lakers can just sign him back in a few years, because they’re the damn Lakers. In the meantime, they can shoot their shot with LeBron and Marc Gasol and a few three-point bombers to take advantage of all the slick passes those two will throw. (Like Kyle Kuzma, who is the coolest and best of the Lakers’ young dudes anyway, and whom they should keep at all costs.) I will not lie to you, my friends. I am not even going to attempt to perform the cap-ology required to discern how/whether these trade ideas could work according to the league’s rules. That is for someone else to figure out. For example, the front-office executives of the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers! What I am saying here is that they damn well oughtta make it frickin’ happen. Get to work!<doc-sep>NBA trade rumors have begun to circle the Memphis Grizzlies; particularly Marc Gasol. Here is why the Los Angeles Lakers make the most sense as his destination. NBA trade rumors are ramping up, and with an active Front Office pursuing options to better the Memphis Grizzlies now and in the future, Marc Gasol may soon be headed to a new destination. Way back in 2008, the Grizzlies dumped NBA All-Star Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers in what was — at the time — blasted as a one-way deal. There is no questioning that it worked out for the Lakers; Gasol lifted them firmly into the “contender” echelon, and they won back-to-back NBA titles. But even the Grizzlies eventually came out as winners. Marc Gasol, Pau’s younger brother and a throw-in in that same trade, evolved into the NBA’s best all-around big man. The Memphis Grizzlies became a playoff staple; consistently successful for the first time ever. Fast-forward 11 years, and that success has begun to wane. As such, Marc Gasol’s time in Memphis may be as well. NBA trade rumors have already begun their beginning stages ahead of the February 7th NBA Trade Deadline. After a very promising start to 2018-19, Memphis has bombed down the West standings, currently six games out of a playoff spot and looking totally rudderless. All cards are now on the table, and that includes dealing Gasol, a likely free agent-to-be. Some of us were ahead of the curve with this whole “trade Gasol” thing, but now that it is the subject of national attention, it deserves re-visiting. The question now becomes: where makes the most sense for him? In an ironic, full-circle twist, there is likely no better suitor for another mutually-beneficial trade than the Lakers. Join Beale Street Bears as we explore why.<doc-sep>You know the drill: With the 2019 NBA trade deadline looming, any report of a team — this time, it’s the Memphis Grizzlies — willing to deal stars gets die-hards excited, and the speculation runs wild. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski filed this on Tuesday evening, telling the world that Memphis is thinking about dealing Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, two big enough stars who could help push a contender over the top: For first time, Memphis will begin listening to trade offers on franchise stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, league sources tell ESPN. Memphis has reached a crossroads and is preparing to weigh deals involving one or both of its cornerstone veterans. Story soon on ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2019 That sent everyone to ESPN’s Trade Machine. Here’s what fans came up with: 1. Gasol goes West Marc Gasol Trade#Grizzlies get a look at WCS and 2 expirings. ZBo will probably be bought out and Griz receive 1 of the King’s 2019 2nds#Kings try to make a push for the 8 seed and improve the center position. Gasol has an option for next year if it doesn’t work #NbaTrade pic.twitter.com/k2vZ74RL11 — NBA Trade Ideas (@NBATradeIdeas1) January 23, 2019 The surprise Kings get a big name, and the Grizzlies get to take about $20 million off their books. 2. Conley gets to play DEEETROIT basketball @lazchance you ready for the flurry of Conley trade proposals? I’ll go first!!! pic.twitter.com/ZkUfssBZem — Jimmy P. (@CoolDad81) January 23, 2019 No way the Pistons would deal cornerstone Andre Drummond … right? 3. Fear the Gasol Deer Marc Gasol ➡️ Milwaukee??? Trade Scenario: Bucks Get: C Marc Gasol + Future 2nd Round Pick Grizzlies Get: PG Eric Bledsoe, SG/PG Malcolm Brogdon & C Brook Lopez + Future 1st Round Pick pic.twitter.com/tbMC1J60KW — Eli Thomas (@eli_thomas17) January 18, 2019 I don’t buy this one. That’s trading three key members of a strong Bucks rotation, even for a player of Gasol’s caliber. 4. An epic three-way trade The Grizzlies end up with expiring deals and a young piece in Dennis Smith Jr. I kind of love the idea of Conley on the Luka Doncic Mavericks. 5. An epic three-way trade, Part II Okay all of my other ideas are pure garbage compared to this one. I think I've actually got a great Conley/Gasol trade. pic.twitter.com/rkS9KobvR2 — Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) January 23, 2019 Here, Gasol becomes a Mav, Conley heads to Detroit and the Grizzlies get a ton back. 6. Gasol plays for Michael Jordan, Conley goes to the Pacers Not a bad one for the Grizzlies with the Gasol to Hornets deal, and the Pacers continue to contend. 7. The Nuggets upgrade EVERYBODY wins in this Conley trade pic.twitter.com/zOD7OWwoTt — SquareBidness Ed Memphis (@BidnessSquare) January 23, 2019 Denver gets rid of promising but injured Michael Porter Jr. and sends Paul Millsap’s enormous contract to the Griz. I’m talking myself into this one and I kind of like it.<doc-sep>
The NBA Trade Rumors are swirling and the deadline is coming quickly. The Memphis Grizzlies have made Marc Gasol and Mike Conley available in trade talks. The Memphis Grizzlies have made their long-term franchise stars, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol available in trade talks. The NBA trade rumors will continue to come and either of these or even both could be on their way out of Memphis in the coming weeks. For first time, Memphis will begin listening to trade offers on franchise stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, league sources tell ESPN. Memphis has reached a crossroads and is preparing to weigh deals involving one or both of its cornerstone veterans. Story soon on ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2019 These two have meant so much to this city and the franchise. They have made the playoffs many times including a trip to the Western Conference Finals. They were never able to take the next step and reach the NBA Finals but that doesn’t mean they were a failure. The city has rallied around them and it will be a very sad day whenever these two are officially gone. They have both played at a high level in their careers. Gasol is a three-time NBA all-star as well as being named Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013. He is in his 11th season with the time after being acquired in a deal that sent his older Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers. He has played in 762 regular season games with the team averaging 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. His time with the franchise was memorable and he is the more likely of the team to be traded, though he does have a tricky situation with a player option this summer. Conley has made a huge impact on and off the court for this team. He has never gotten the respect he deserves from the national media but everyone in Memphis knows how good he is. His contract makes him difficult to trade but his play has been great and a team with cap space could be willing to make this move. He has 2 years,$67 million left after this season. He has never made the all-star team and it seems like he never will but he most certainly is an all-star caliber player. Conley is in his 12th season with the team but due to injuries has played nearly identical games as Gasol, he has currently played in 764 regular season games with the team. In those games, he is averaging 14.6 points and 5.7 assists. Both of these two will be dearly missed but it is time for the Grizzlies to move on. They have a bright future led by Jaren Jackson Jr. and it’s time to start making moves to help build a championship contender around him.