Raptors: 5 best moves Bobby Webster has made as GM in Toronto
By Ben Fisher
Toronto Raptors GM Bobby Webster move No. 3: Trading for Marc Gasol
It was easy to like Jonas Valanciunas, but he was no Gasol. The upgrade they got by trading the Lithuanian big man for the long-time Memphis Grizzlies star from both a passing and defensive standpoint was monumental.
Two years later (almost to the day, actually), a clear winner in the deal has been determined. Valanciunas has been fine in Memphis, albeit in two non-playoff seasons. C.J. Miles has played in just 23 games since the deal and is currently out of the league.
Delon Wright has been traded twice since and is now a member of the lowly Detroit Pistons. Unless the 2024 second rounder somehow turns to gold, the Raps didn’t surrender much. On the other hand, Gasol helped stymie the likes of Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Philly’s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez, and Golden State’s Draymond Green on the way to the title.
You could certainly make the argument that the 2019 championship – and, ergo, the Spaniard’s MVP-caliber parade celebration – doesn’t happen if Webster doesn’t swing the fateful deadline deal. The Gasol trade goes to show that Webster’s fingerprints are all over that championship-winning team.