NBA Trade Rumors: Kings, Pistons Interested In Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol
By Chris Kern
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have shown interest in Gasol despite already having Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond inside. Could this mean that pairing is coming to an end?
Some feel that Drummond could be on the trading block but they aren’t just going to give him away. He is a good young center who is still an all-star caliber player and they will want assets back in a trade that is worth it for them.
This team has a lot of bad contracts so if they could get out of some of there’s then they may be willing to make this deal.
The Charlotte Hornets have been speculated as a possible landing spot for Drummond but at the moment there isn’t anything really going on in that area.
Unless this is a three-team trade or there’s a separate Drummond deal then any Grizzlies-Pistons trade would be headlined by a Gasol for Drummond swap.
One thing Memphis would have to decide before considering this deal is whether they think he and Jackson Jr. would be a good fit long-term and if Jackson can be featured as the power forward long-term.
Many feel that he is better suited to be a center in today’s game and with the way the game is getting faster and more three-point oriented it could get even harder to feature a succesful two big lineup.
That’s not to say this wouldn’t work because Drummond continues to improve his game but he will likely need to develop a three-point shot if he wants to continue to be an all-star caliber player.
He has become a little bit better at the free-throw line so maybe he could become respectable from the free-point line eventually.
Jackson and Drummond would have the potential to be one of the best big man duos in the game so if they can compliment them with good guards then that team could be really good. With Anderson at the small forward spot for likely the foreseeable future, they would need their two starting guards to be good three-point shooters.
Jackson has shown he is a great three-point shooter but he is much better inside still and can score the ball around the rim in a variety of ways. He is better in space and having Drummond inside could limit some of the driving ability that makes him so special.
Obviously, Drummond is a special talent and the Grizzlies coaching staff could make it work but they would need to get some really good offensive guards who can hit shots to compliment those guys for the long haul.
There will always be concerns when acquiring a star player but at the end of the day when you can make a deal like that happen you get it done and figure out the rest later. If they could get a Gasol for Drummond deal done without having to attach any young assets or picks then they should strongly consider it.