Back in the day, it was obvious that the Memphis Grizzlies were shopping a young Mike Conley. However, was it Marc Gasol that blocked the trade?
This week, Mike Conley has been all over the place. On Monday, he was a guest for Barstool Sports’ “Pardon my Take” podcast. Then, he was on Jimmy Kemmel Live. Yesterday, he featured all over ESPN, appearing in Zach Lowe’s podcast and “NBA: The Jump.” The Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard is receiving the attention he deserves.
On the Zach Lowe podcast, he brought up the time Mike Conley was almost traded to Milwaukee. What we didn’t know was how close it came to fruition and how Marc Gasol gave his input to stop the talks. Mike Conley shared the story like it was yesterday:
"“I remember being in Toronto and getting pulled out of the game. [And they] basically told me ‘you’re not playing for the rest of the game.’ I was in the locker room, and I was like ‘what’s going on?’ I called my dad like, ‘am I being traded?’ He said, ‘yeah it looks like this was on the table.’ … So I had to prepare my mind for it."
Then, Marc Gasol found out about it, and he wasn’t happy about it:
"And the next thing I know, Marc gets wind of it. Me and Marc were tied to the hip. We were on the end of the bench together. He was just like ‘man, out of all the people on the team, you’re the only guy that knows how to win. You’re unselfish, you care about the team more than you care about yourself. Everybody else here is young and just trying to better themselves.’ And those are the things you won’t go out and say to the media and to Chris Wallace. I didn’t know he said that until later. And when I did, I just kinda gave him a hug like, ‘man, I appreciate that, because I didn’t want to go anywhere’.”"
Basically, Marc Gasol saved this team from dwelling in the NBA’s cellar for the next decade. If it weren’t for Conley, this team wouldn’t be at the level they’ve been on for the past seven years. It could’ve been the move that changed this franchise for the worst.
The Grizzlies could still be without a playoff win. No growl towels. No “Grit ‘n’ Grind.” Heck, this team may not be in Memphis anymore, if they made this trade.
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Both Conley and Gasol have been main staples in this “Grit ‘n’ Grind” era, more specifically last season where both averaged a career-high in points. Now that Tony Allen and Zach Randolph are free agents, the team is looking to build around Gasol and Conley going forward.
Marc Gasol has done a lot of great things on the court, but keeping Mike Conley in Memphis may be close to the top of his accomplishments.