Toronto is deep at every position, and poised for a playoff run.
The Toronto Raptors have agreed to trade for Marc Gasol, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Raptors will send the Memphis Grizzlies Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles and a 2024 second-round pick in return, per Woj.
Gasol may not be an All-Star talent at this point, but he’s an upgrade over Valanciunas, and should serve a critical role for the Raptors in the playoffs. He’ll likely come off the bench behind Serge Ibaka, proving how deep Toronto is.
Conference rivals Philadelphia and Milwaukee both made big moves ahead of the deadline, with the Sixers acquiring Tobias Harris and the Bucks snagging Nikola Mirotic. Now Toronto has made its move in an ultimate chase for the Finals.
Why this makes sense for the Raptors
Toronto is going all-in in an attempt to keep pending free agent, Kawhi Leonard, in Canada. Gasol is a starting-caliber big for most teams, and a supreme luxury at the backup spot. Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, Gasol, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby in the same rotation.
The Raptors are loaded.
Why this makes sense for the Grizzlies
Gasol ultimately didn’t fit in Memphis plans anymore. The original vision of him, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons forming a Big 3 never came to fruition.
Now, they’ll start slowly rebuilding with Delon Wright, a solid 26-year-old guard about to enter restricted free agency, and see if CJ Miles or Jonas Valanciunas take their player options for next season. The market for Gasol clearly wasn’t what it once was.