NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 trades to help teams tank

5. Memphis deals Marc

The Memphis Grizzlies have been stuck in Grit N Grind mediocrity for years. They’ve always been the scrappy underdog playoff team that ran into the more talented group. This year, it looks unlikely they will be that scrappy playoff underdog. And even if they do sneak in, a lottery pick would serve them better than a Warriors sweep.

Marc Gasol is the obvious trade candidate. He’s being blamed for a lot of the Memphis struggles and doesn’t seem all that happy right now.

The East is wide open with the Cleveland Cavaliers struggling. The Raptors have been right there, season after season, but can never get over the LeBron James hump. If they’re ever going to take that next step, this appears to be the season. Gasol is a big upgrade over Jonas Valanciunas and parting ways with Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo is necessary. Fred VanVleet could replace Wright, depending on what draft pick the Raptors give up. The Raptors don’t have their 2018 first round pick, so they’d have to trade a future first rounder.

This makes the Grizzlies worse this season and sets them up to fail in upcoming seasons because Valanciunas is not a long term solution, especially with that contract.

If the Grizzlies really want to help out the Raptors, they can throw Tyreke Evans into the mix. I don’t know who they get in return, maybe no one. Maybe the Grizzlies feel so bad that the Raptors are Memphis East that they just give them Evans for nothing. And when the Raptors win the NBA title, they share it with the Grizzlies.

That’s how you process and win the title at the same time. Good job, Memphis.