Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley Reacts to Marc Gasol NBA Trade Rumors

It appears as if Marc Gasol will be dealt by the Memphis Grizzlies prior to Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline. His sidekick — Mike Conley — spoke on the latest NBA trade rumors prior to gametime on Tuesday.

The remaining bits of the “Grit-‘N’-Grind” era are nearing the end of the tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies, says the latest NBA trade rumors. It is looking very likely that Marc Gasol and Mike Conley will be dealt prior to Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.

During shootaround prior to tip-off in Tuesday’s home meeting against the Minnesota Timberwolves, rumors hit social media of advanced talks taking place between the Grizzlies and the Charlotte Hornets. These talks are centered around Gasol, a Grizzly of 10.5 seasons.

In speaking of 10.5 seasons, Marc Gasol has always been a teammate to Conley since Big Spain’s emergence into the NBA in 2008. Life without a Gasol on the roster? This is something Memphians do not know, as Pau Gasol tipped off the Grizzlies’ existence in Memphis in 2001 and handed the keys to Marc seven years later.

Assuming a trade agreement is finalized this week and Marc Gasol departs Memphis to join the NBA’s Eastern Conference, it will lead to much emotion and shaky times within Grizz Nation.

Minutes before the Memphis Grizzlies hit the hardwood to face the Timberwolves, Mike Conley spoke freely on the topic of Tuesday’s most recent NBA trade rumors. He acknowledges that he may be next, but mainly focused on life without his longtime counterpart, Marc Gasol. View the locker room interview directly below:

Mike is right. It will be hard for Grizz Nation to comprehend. There has always been a Gasol on the roster while the team has been located in Memphis, Tennesee. Individually, Marc has appeared in a franchise record 25,219 minutes, leading to another franchise record of 11,684 points. Not to forget 5,942 total rebounds, also atop the Grizzlies all-time leaderboard.

You get the picture. Big Spain was a youth development project for Memphis initially, and quickly became a key player. He completed a Core Four that brought the best and brightest days to the Grizzlies organization. Once Zach Randolph and Tony Allen moved on to other endeavors, Gasol carried the squad while Conley was shut down due to injury.

In essence, you could say that Marc Gasol is the greatest player in Memphis Grizzlies franchise history. Some will argue because of the heart and soul provided by Randolph, or perhaps give the nod to Conley being as his statistics are ideally neck-and-neck with Marc’s production.

This may be an argument that continues for decades. Who is the Memphis Grizzlies all-time best player? Regardless of which name you select, you absolutely have to admit that Marc Gasol was special in Memphis. He is Memphis. He was Memphis, as the NBA trade rumors hint toward.

It appears that this indeed is the final hours of Marc’s time in a Grizzlies uniform. Also prior to tip-off during media availability, the Commercial Appeal‘s David Cobb pointed out that the signaure No. 33 has been removed from Gasol’s locker. It sounds as if the three-time All-Star center had already cleaned out his stall due to the impending trade to the Hornets.

If the NBA trade rumors hinting at a shipment of Gasol to Charlotte hold true, the item that Grizz Nation must appreciate most is this one season Marc was able to spend with rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., molding him into the next face of the franchise as well as the next big force in the paint in the 901. Regardless of uniform, Marc will forever remain a Memphis legend.