Marc Gasol to the Portland Trail Blazers: Thoughts From Rip City Project and Beale Street Bears Writers

As a Grizzlies writer, how do you feel about the prospects of trading with the Blazers?

Chris: The Trail Blazers don’t have a lot of young players they could offer in a potential deal that would excite the Grizzlies, but they do have some. Any team that is willing to offer a first-rounder for Gasol will be high on the list, and a first round selection is something that should excite all Grizzlies fans.

It’s also fun to think about how Gasol would fit in Portland. You obviously have to prioritize getting back a good package, but you would also like to see him go somewhere where he can succeed. He would be a good fit in the Portland offense as a pick-and-pop option for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Gasol having the opportunity to play in the playoffs on a team with two stars like Portland should make all Grizzlies fans happy. There have been other teams with some interest in him, but this is the best team as well as the best fit for him.

While it may not seem like they have much to offer Memphis in a trade, you have to think about other offers they will get. Not many teams have a need for a center and, honestly, Portland doesn’t have a big need, so they shouldn’t feel pressured to overpay for Gasol.

The Grizzlies may have to settle for a little bit less than they would like, but that’s okay. There have been rumors of trying to attach Chandler Parsons in either a Mike Conley or Gasol deal, but that’s just silly. There’s no reason they should feel pressured to attach him to any deal, which would significantly lower the value of the package they would get in return.

Memphis just needs to get this deal done, and with Portland rumored to be offering a first-rounder, they should take it. They may have to take on some bad contracts, but that’s the way it’s going to be. The Grizzlies won’t be a playoff team next year, so they should be willing to take on a bad contract or two to bring in an additional first-round pick.

As a Blazers writer, how do you feel about trading with the Grizzlies, specifically for Marc Gasol?

Shade: Well, when I first heard the rumors, I was excited because the Blazers were finally making a big move. Then I heard that the Blazers were expected to give up a first-rounder for him, and I cooled off a bit on the idea. There are a few reasons why I’m less excited.

First, we don’t really need him. We have Jusuf Nurkic, who is actually playing pretty well this season. He averages 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while Gasol’s got 15.6, 8.6, 4.7, 1.1, and 1.2. That doesn’t look like a clear upgrade to me. Gasol can knock down threes, but he is also 10 years older and costs more than double what Nurkic costs.

Then, I heard a rumor that they wanted to pair Nurkic and Gasol and I disliked the trade even more. I was thinking if the young Nurkic and Nikola Jokic didn’t work back in 2016, why would the Nurkic-Gasol pairing work? Also if the Blazers really were aggressively shopping a pick why would they use it at a position where they already have a starting-caliber player?

Finally, I got to the point where I am now. Just go for it. I mean, yeah, it isn’t the perfect fit, but it is also very rare that a first round pick hits and turns into an All-Star player immediately. Damian Lillard is by no means starting to regress, but he isn’t getting younger either. The Blazers need to find ways to help him win now and if that means upgrading at a position they are already solid at, then so be it. Yes, Gasol is getting older and may or may not fit alongside Nurkic, but I think Gasol has at least 2-3 years of good basketball left in him and Nurkic is only 24, so he can learn with Gasol now and then take back over the reigns in a few years.