With franchise player Marc Gasol entering the twilight of his NBA career, Grizz blog writer Grace Baker of SB Nation explored the idea of trading the All-Star and All-NBA center now in the hope of building for the future.
At 32, there aren’t much high-level basketball left in Gasol, and Baker believes bargaining the present in exchange for draft assets and promising young player put the Memphis Grizzlies in a better position moving forward.
Although Gasol averaged 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on his way to his third All-Star appearance, Baker expressed her dissatisfaction over what he called an ‘underwhelming postseason’ for the Spanish big man.
Gasol did put up 19.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in the six-game series against the San Antonio Spurs. However, the SB Nation writer thinks Gasol could have done more in that playoff matchup.
Baker stressed that it’s time pull off a gamble on Gasol. With Grizzlies clearly at the crossroad, shopping the Spanish big man now when his trade value is still high will guarantee the franchise’s relevance for more years to come. Of course, Memphis is expected to take few steps backward after trading their best big man, though it won’t take much time for the young guns to mature and become cornerstones of this team.
Randolph’s future
Michael Wallace of Grind City Media believes the Grizzlies front-office will have to pick between Zach Randolph and up-and-coming forward JaMychal Green.
Randolph once again puts up steady numbers as he averaged 14.1 ppg and 8.2 rpg in 24 minutes off the bench last season. The only drawback in committing another long-term deal with Randolph is his age. At 35, there’s no guarantee Z-Bo will provide the same numbers in more years to come.
As for Green, the 26-year old forward is going to be a hot commodity in the free agency market because he impacts the game on both ends of the floor.
He’s also a solid floor-stretcher as he shot 37 percent from the 3-point line last year. The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are identified as potential suitors for the versatile big man.
Jack – the Backup
FanSided beat writer Jake Finnen is high on NBA veteran Jarrett Jack reviving his career as a backup for Mike Conley in Memphis.
Jack, who averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 assists in his 12-year career, could provide the Grizz stability on their second unit as a second-tier playmaker. The former Georgia Tech standout used to thrive in backup roles with Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Hornets, and Golden State Warriors.
The 33-year old Jack missed most of the 2016/17 season due to various injuries. A torn knee ligament caused him to miss seven preseason games with the Atlanta Hawks, which led to his release. He then signed a 10-day deal with the New Orleans Pelicans but was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a right lateral meniscus tear.
