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

What could the final package look like?

Chris posed this deal:

Why do the Grizzlies take this deal?

Chris: The main thing is the pick. That pick could be the 25th pick or so, but even then it is worth it. Memphis needs to stockpile as many young assets as possible if they’re going to do this rebuild right. They have a young star in Jackson, and they need to surround him with as much young talent as possible.

The Grizzlies need to learn from the Anthony Davis situation. The Pelicans failed to surround him with the proper talent, and he has now demanded a trade. We could say Jackson doesn’t seem like that kind of guy, but a lot will change over the next five or six years.

Garrett Temple and Shelvin Mack being involved in this deal is a no-brainer and will make a lot of Grizzlies fans happy. Those players have really struggled recently and could both benefit from a change of scenery and could make an impact on a playoff-bound Portland team.

Simons and Swanigan are the young players that should excite all Grizzlies fans. Simons is just 19-years-old and Swanigan is just 21, so both could be a part of the long-term plans in Memphis. Neither has played a big role in Portland, but that offense is so focused on Lillard and McCollum that other players don’t have much of a chance to succeed.

They haven’t been a part of the rotation in Portland, but at the very least they would get an opportunity to get minutes with the Grizzlies. They will have a completely new team after the deadline if they deal Conley and Gasol so it’s hard to say for sure but if the Grizzlies can get a deal like this done they should be excited about what the future brings.

Why do the Blazers take this deal?

Shade: Blazers fans have been hoping for a big move and another star for the past few seasons to pair with Damian Lillard. This is the first time it actually seems like they might pull the trigger on a big name player. Marc Gasol is getting older, but he can still ball, so Blazers fans should be excited about this potential trade.

The Blazers shouldn’t be too worried about giving up Simons and Swanigan. While they have the potential to be very good NBA players, by the time they reach their potential it might be too late to be useful in helping in the Damian Lillard era. Also, neither of the two are cracking any playing time currently, so I think it is smart to deal players that aren’t currently contributing for players who will immediately contribute.

Meyers Leonard is a current contributor, but Gasol would definitely make up for the loss of Leonard and then some. Leonard’s biggest value to the team right now is being a big man who can stretch the floor. Gasol is a big man who can stretch the floor and he brings a little extra scoring and distributing to the table that Leonard lacks.

The Blazers might miss Evan Turner on the court after the trade, but he is a contract that they would love to get off the books, and rightfully so. Turner is a very effective player to bring off the bench, but he is paid a little too much for what he brings to the table.

Lastly, dealing the first round pick is slightly worrisome, but as I said with Simons and Swanigan, the Blazers need to be playing for now not the future. This pick will likely be towards the back of the first round and may not even amount to much in the end anyways. Draft picks are hit and miss anyways, but as you get further into the draft it becomes even harder to make a good selection.

The Blazers are also apparently interested in Temple. He won’t bring a whole lot of excitement but is a good veteran presence and his one-year deal will help us create some cap space for next season.