Memphis Grizzlies: 5 Moments That Defined The 2018-19 Season
By Chris Kern
The Marc Gasol Trade
Marc Gasol getting traded to the Toronto Raptors was a huge moment in the Grizzlies season. Gasol has done so much for this franchise over the past decade so it was sad to see him leave. To be able to compete for a championship is something that he wasn’t able to do in Memphis anymore so it’s good to see him get that chance.
He is 34 years old, but he still very much plays at a high level. His ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor is elite. He wasn’t a huge scoring factor every night in Memphis, but with the Raptors, he doesn’t need to be.
In 26 games with the Raptors Gasol has started 19 of them averaging 9.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in 24.9 minutes. Him being able to play fewer minutes is good for him as he is more effective when he’s out there.
He is still an elite defender as he is able to battle with elite bigs down low and is more than willing of stepping over and taking charges if needed. He’s not the former Defensive Player of the Year he once was, but he is still one of the better defensive centers in the league.
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We’re all happy for Marc Gasol, but the Grizzlies got a few good players out of this deal as well. They acquired Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 second-round pick. At first, that didn’t seem like a great package, but as they started to play some games in Memphis everyone started to realize that the front office knew what they were doing.
The free agency situations surrounding Valanciunas and Wright could keep one or maybe even both of them from returning to Memphis, but they played at a high level and most likely will return. Valanciunas has a large player option that may be hard to turn down, while Wright is a restricted free agent so they can match any deal he gets.
All of these new guys had big moments most notably with Jonas Valanciunas’ and Delon Wright putting up big numbers, but C.J. Miles had some big games as well. All three of these guys can be a part of the core going forward for at least a few years so while seeing Marc Gasol go is upsetting, it’s good to see the Grizzlies get a good package in return.