Grizz GM says Gasol trade was a win-win
Wallace happy center may contend for title
General manager Chris Wallace framed the trade sending Marc Gasol to Toronto as a win-win for the Grizzlies and Gasol as he met with reporters on Friday following a busy trade deadline for the franchise’s front office.
“I’m happy on a personal note that he’s going to a team in this trade that he has a chance to contend for a title,” Wallace said of Gasol.
As for the Grizzlies, Wallace lauded the “winning culture” that three of the team’s new players are coming from in Toronto and called incoming center Jonas Valanciunas “one of the best in the league” at center.
Valanciunas will be an important piece for the Grizzlies during the remainder of a season that now has a clear goal.
While the team has fallen out of playoff contention, Wallace said the objective is for the Grizzlies to win enough games to avoid having
Grizzlies inside
BEHIND THE SCENES: Get a perspective on the trade deadline day from guard Mike Conley, Page 3B ON GASOL: Memphis owner says organization will retire Marc Gasol’s jersey number, Page 4B
a top-eight selection in this summer’s NBA draft.
Finishing ahead of eight other teams would position the Grizzlies to convey a first-round pick to Boston that they owe the Celtics at some point in the next three seasons.
The pick is top-six protected in 2020 and unprotected in 2021.
“We’d like to convey this pick to Boston this year and get that in our rearview mirror and then move forward with a clean slate of picks,” Wallace said.
The Grizzlies host the Pelicans on Saturday (7 p.m. Fox Sports Southeast) and are expected to have their five new players available, though it was unclear if they would play immediately.
Even conveying the pick will be an uphill battle for a Grizzlies team that entered Friday night’s slate of games ahead of only five teams in the NBA standings.
But given how bad Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Phoenix are, attempting to convey the pick has been deemed the favorable alternative to tanking.
It appears increasingly like that those four teams will hold the top spots in May’s draft lottery.
“First of all, just take a look at this year’s NBA draft,” Wallace said. “Although it’s early, this draft does not appear to be a great draft top to bottom. So if there’s a year to step out of the first round of the draft, this is probably the year.”
Wallace also suggested that it will be easier for the franchise to negotiate trades this summer with its future firstround picks on the table.