Although Marc Gasol has been the subject of some trade speculation this summer, the Grizzlies currently consider him – and point guard Mike Conley – “untouchable,” two sources close to the situation tell Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
As Moore outlines, there have been reports this offseason suggesting that Gasol could become a trade target for a team like the Celtics, who still have plenty of assets at their disposal after moving Kyrie Irving. Gasol’s comments last month that the Grizzlies may have to “revisit things” if they don’t continue to move toward title contention further contributed to trade speculation.
However, the Grizzlies currently view Gasol and Conley as a duo worth building around, and both players remain locked into their contracts for multiple years. As Moore notes, other stars who were traded in recent months were in different situations than Gasol — Irving asked to be traded, Paul George‘s agent indicated his client likely wouldn’t re-sign with the Pacers, and the Bulls moved Jimmy Butler as part of a full-fledged rebuild. Memphis isn’t at that stage.
Of course, if the Grizzlies’ fortunes go south, it’s possible that the team’s stance on Gasol could change. According to Chris Herrington of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter), a possible Gasol deal is only a “file away for later consideration if the season tanks and/or he asks” notion.
Moore details some scenarios in which a trade could become more feasible, including the Grizzlies posting a record well below .500, Gasol clashing with head coach David Fizdale, or Gasol himself asking to be dealt. Still, as Moore writes, it would be somewhat out of character for Gasol to make a trade demand, and a polite suggestion that a change might be best for both sides likely wouldn’t be enough to change Memphis’ stance.
The Celtics don’t have enough non vital salary to trade for Gasol. They could do something funky and find a 3rd team for Horford I guess but that would be counter productive in my opinion.
So when Gasol said things need to improve, he did actually mean his current team, and not that he wanted to be on team already improved.
The article mentioned a Jan.1 ‘deadline’ for the team to look like a playoff slugger and the Memphis roster does look thin this year. The trade deadline lasts to February but that’s pretty late to get full synergy for the playoffs.
Gasol, Myles Turner or ADavis could make the difference for the Cavs or Celtics. I thought Gasol would be first available. Cousins or Drummond would struggle vs GSW. Zeller , Lopez, Lopez, Vucevic, Chandler? Mozgov for good luck?