Chicago Bulls: Potential trade packages for Marc Gasol
By Ryan Heckman
One of the recent rumors has Marc Gasol potentially being moved. Could the Chicago Bulls make that move beneficial for their future?
It is a foregone conclusion that the Chicago Bulls already have their mind set on seasons of the future, at least from a front office perspective. The way John Paxson and Gar Forman have handled this team as of late would suggest they do not care about the 2018-2019 campaign one bit, but are looking towards next season and years beyond.
Side note: No one actually has a clue what GarPax is thinking — ever.
But, with the future in mind, you have to believe they are not done making moves just yet. Whether it is figuring out what to do with disgruntled big man Robin Lopez, or moving hometown kid Jabari Parker after just half a season, the Bulls will undoubtedly be amidst trade discussions up until the February 7 deadline.
Another team with their future in mind is the Memphis Grizzlies, who have fallen quite a bit since starting the season out relatively strong. Now looking at a top-8 pick at this point, the Grizzlies may want to re-think the rest of this year.
One whisper making the rounds: Marc Gasol can become a free agent at season's and, amid a growing belief around the league that he will indeed exercise that option, Memphis could be moved to explore trading Gasol now rather than face the threat of losing him without compensation
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 15, 2019
Why would the Grizzlies want to move Marc Gasol? Why would they choose to essentially forfeit the remainder of this season?
It’s pretty simple.
The Grizzlies currently owe the Boston Celtics a first-round pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft. However, it is top-8 protected. If the Grizzlies end up keeping the pick, it rolls over to next year as a top-6 protected pick.
If Memphis wants to go full-on rebuild, they will attempt to keep the draft pick. How they do that, of course, is by losing additional games and remaining amongst the worst eight records in the league.
Gasol can opt out of his contract at season’s end, and if the Bulls are kind enough to take on the rest of his deal, maybe they could land something in return. Let’s see if we can work out a deal that makes sense for both sides.