The Toronto Raptors made a big move at this year’s NBA trade deadline, sending Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles and a 2024 second round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol.
Like other contenders in the East, the Raptors are making an all-in move for the playoffs. The Bucks did so by acquiring Nikola Mirotic and the 76ers earlier on by trading for Tobias Harris, after already adding Jimmy Butler in November.
With this move, the Raptors are also reuniting Gasol with one of his former Grizzlies teammates, Kyle Lowry. The two were teammates for half a season in Gasol’s rookie year, way back in 2008-09, and the passage of time is actually visible in this old photo.
That year, Lowry was traded to Houston, where he played for a few seasons before eventually making his way to Toronto in 2012. Gasol, meanwhile, has been a Grizzlies lifer — up until this point.
At the age of 34, Gasol is obviously a bit distanced from his prime years as an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year, but he still has a skill level that few players in the NBA can match. If the move from the lowly Grizzlies to a more competitive Raptors team can rejuvenate his game, he may just hit another level yet.
