The Toronto Raptors made a big splash on trade deadline day, acquiring Marc Gasol for multiple trade assets. Dissecting the trade, how did the Raptors fare?
There was a flurry of deals in the NBA on deadline day this year. With all the moving pieces, the Toronto Raptors got into the action with some transactions of their own. None were bigger than the acquisition of Marc Gasol.
The always astute, Masai Ujiri, along with Bobby Webster, was busy working the phones, seeing what they could extract from executives around the league. In what seemed like cursory deals, they shipped Malachi Richardson (who was almost immediately waived) with their 2022 second-round draft pick and the draft rights to Emir Preldzic to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for cash considerations. They also sent Greg Monroe and the 2021 second-round draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for their second bag of money ($110k) in as many days.
With rival teams improving their roster, the Raptors recognized that an upgrade was needed in order to contend. As it turned out, they discovered Marc Gasol was available.
The Raptors sent the Memphis Grizzlies a package of Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles and a 2024 second-round draft pick in exchange for the jewel of the deal, Marc Gasol. Earlier in the week, the Raptors were rumoured to have floated a trade with the Grizzlies for Gasol and point guard Mike Conley in a swap for Kyle Lowry and JV. These reports were refuted and largely believed to be false. It turns out that there may have been some legitimacy.
In making the exchange for Gasol, the Raptors demonstrate that they are pushing all-in on the season. This trade was in preparation for a playoff push that they hope sends them right to the top of the Eastern Conference.
With the right intentions from the front office, was this right move and was it enough?
What Gasol offers
The Raptors are excited to have Marc Gasol join the organization. At age 34, the Spaniard is having an excellent season. He has shown that he has a lot left in the tank, which is likely why the Raps were interested.
On the season, the 11-year veteran is averaging 15.7 points, 4.7 assists and 8.6 rebounds per contest. His assist totals are a career high. So too are his 7.5 defensive rebounds and 1.1 steals per game this season. Even with a bottom-dwelling Grizzlies team, Gasol performed extraordinarily well.
That is not unlike the rest of the big man’s career. He has been a consistent and reliable performer. He has given everything to the only professional team whose jersey he has ever donned. He leads the Grizz in franchise points, rebounds, blocks and made field goals. He is also a three-time all-star and the recipient of the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
He will bring all that experience and talent to Toronto to elevate his new team to another level. He is earning $24.1M in base salary and a $1.29M trade kicker this season. Gasol also has a player option next year for $25.6M.
This “win now” move for the Raptors is giving them a player with experience who can help mentor the younger members of the squad. He can show them how to play the right way, especially during meaningful games.
Gasol is a threat on both ends of the court. He will make good players take bad shots and pass off on semi-open looks. Standing 7’1″, he can go toe to toe with any of the other centers in the league and protect the rim. He will also rack up the points, especially if left unchecked.
Gasol is an excellent passer. In Memphis he was often found in the high post, giving him and his teammates myriad options. In his post-trade press conference, Ujiri praised Gasol’s elbow passing, which suggests that the Raptors may be looking to utilize the same style of play.
From the high post, Gasol opens up the floor. He is able to take a look for three, run a pick-and-roll, take a mid-range shot or cut to the basket. The choices are as plentiful as Nick Nurse’s imagination.
The scary part of Gasol’s game is how efficient he is at the things he does well. He is matching his career stats this season shooting from downtown. He is making 34% of his threes. This is excellent for a big man. His passing and vision are also elite. His season average of assists is second in the NBA for centers, behind only the Denver Nuggets’, Nikola Jokic.
The Raptors will now also have more flexibility with their lineup. Nurse can put either Serge Ibaka or Gasol in the team’s starting five-position. If it is Ibaka, that allows the “Big Burrito” to add energy to the bench unit, which has been much-needed in big games this season.
Ibaka can also slide over to the four, allowing the two of them to share the floor. This would bump Pascal Siakam to be the driver in the rotation. Nurse may use the rest of the season to experiment and find the recipe that works best for playoffs.
What the Raptors Lost
It is always hard to say goodbye. The Raptors, unfortunately, had to sacrifice fan favourites in order to get their man. Though it is part of the business, the personnel who remain on the Raptors shared their sorrow, seeing friends and colleagues move on. On a personal level, this may be difficult for some of the players. Professionally, they are likely to now see greater success.
Jonas Valanciunas was the biggest (both figuratively and literally) player the Raps had to include. He will fill the void on the Grizzlies left by Gasol. Though they play the same position, the Lithuanian is a much different player.
He is able to crash the glass, pick up rebounds, and convert on short shots and putbacks. Defensively, JV has always been a liability. He will often watch the fourth quarter from the bench because he cannot be trusted. He also does not have the same stroke from outside the perimeter. He worked on improving this element of his game, but still only puts up wide open looks.
C.J. Miles has had a disappointing season. He has struggled all year finding his stroke. He has been so unreliable that Nurse handed him six DNPs in the month of January.
Miles has also been the scapegoat for the team’s shooting woes. Whether this is fair or not, his game is centered around making triples. Without this ability, there is little reason to provide him with meaningful minutes. This would be the realization of the Raptors as well.
Miles fell out of the rotation this season. If he wasn’t seeing much playing time in the regular season then in playoffs he could have very well seen none. Miles was simply expendable.
The same can be said for Delon Wright. Though in the month of February he looked spectacular, playing with far more aggression than he has in the past, he was still more valuable as a trade piece than a member of the Raptors. Wright has shown glimpses of brilliance and the ability to make the finger roll layup look easy.
It just happens that in Toronto, he was the third of three-point guards. In the playoffs, Wright wasn’t likely to be given many minutes ahead of Lowry or Fred VanVleet. As a draftee of the Raptors, it was likely difficult to part ways with someone who they helped develop and grow. However, he will now get new opportunities with the Grizzlies.
Trade Motivations
The Raptors needed to keep pace with other top teams in the East. The Milwaukee Bucks added Nikola Mirotic who will improve their rotation and give the team a trusted pick and pop player. The 76ers made a big move as well bringing in Tobias Harris, which will make their offense even more lethal. If that were not enough, they also added James Ennis to help their long-range shooting.
With the other teams making their intentions clear that they wanted to own the conference, the Raptors could not be left behind. They were already going to be in a tough matchup by the second round of the playoffs and beyond. The last thing that the team wanted was to make the blockbuster move to bring Kawhi Leonard to Toronto meaningless, which is what it would be if they have an early exit from the playoffs.
Ujiri and Webster’s backs were against the wall. They needed a player who could make an impact. Luckily, they found him in Gasol.
In Gasol, they have a clear upgrade at the five. If he can perform the way he has thus far, the team will be better on both ends of the floor. It may even demonstrate to Leonard that the team is serious about success, which they could use as a pitch in the offseason to him remaining up north on a contract extension.
The trade did more than just move people around. There were cap implications as well. JV is earning $16.5M this season and $17.6M next year. Miles is getting $8.3M and $8.7M over this and next season. Over the next two years, Wright is slated for $2.5M and is eligible for a qualifying $3.6M.
This is a lot of money to free up, especially with the Raptors already into the luxury tax. Even though Gasol makes a big chunk of that, it does still give Toronto some financial relief.
In making the deals they did, The Raptors now have only 10 occupied roster spots. They are allowed a maximum 15 spots for the playoffs, including two players who remain inactive per game.
This means that they are very likely eyeing buyouts who can step in and give the team a new look without much of a risk. There are a number of viable options rumoured to be negotiating their release, which may mean that the Raptors add even more experience for the remainder of the year.
Grading the Trade
The Raptors identified a need and got a three-time all-star and Defensive Player of the Year winner to fill it. Because of his age, they managed to get Gasol at a bargain price without making a large sacrifice to their future. No matter which perspective one takes, this is a clear win for the Raptors.
It does not even matter whether Gasol cracks the team’s starting lineup, his impact will be significant. Having spent over 10 years with a single organization, it may take him time to find his fit with Nurse’s system and his new teammates. Toronto needs to be patient and let Gasol find his way.
Since the trade opened up space on the roster, what comes next will really be what fully determines the short-term success of this deal. If the Raptors are able to sign one of their buyout targets then the room the swap created, makes the transaction even more favourable to the Raps. Hopefully, they are able to find success and convince the right buyout veteran to sign in Toronto.
In a season identified as a must-win, the requisite moves have been made thus far. The potential is clear and the team sits in the right spot, as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, to achieve their goals. With Gasol along for the ride, this should be a fun march deep into the playoffs.
Overall Grade: A-