The fundamentals of a trade state that you get something in return for what you give.
For years the media and fans alike have endlessly criticized Chris Wallace – the General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies – for essentially giving away Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers. 
Up until two and a half weeks ago, no one understood Wallace’s method behind his madness. The Grizzlies then shocked the world by upsetting the Spurs in six games, before pushing the Thunder to a deciding game seven, Wallace’s trade finally makes sense, well sort of.
“We got hammered on it,” Wallace said. “Our end of the deal was going to get rolled out over time. The Lakers’ end got rolled out immediately.”
Next: Rewinding Time
Rewind back to Febuary 1st, 2008. I still remember that day like it was yesterday.
Returning home from school, I checked ESPN to see what made news in the sporting world that day (note: this was before information spread like wildfire with Twitter). To my surprise, a picture of Pau Gasol’s face plastered beside the STAPLES Center pops up.
The headline read “Lakers acquire Gasol from Grizzlies.” I had to scratch my eyes a few times to make sure what the details of the trade was fact and not just a fantasy.
In the trade, the Lakers gave up Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first round draft picks, and the rights to Marc Gasol to acquire the all-star.
At the time, it was considered one of the most lop sided traded in NBA history.
Stephen A. Smith said it best: “they gave up Kwame Brown? If you’re giving up first round picks and you’re a quality team in playoff contention, it really doesn’t mean that much. That’s number one.”
“Number two and more important. Kwame Brown is gone! Hollywood should be celebrating,” Smith continued.
Coach Phil Jackson had reacted similarly when Kornheiser asked him “when Mitch Kupchak came to you and said something like I can get you Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, what did you say back?”
“No you can’t,” Jackson replied with a huge grin on his face.
Jokes aside, the “trade” made basketball sense for one team (the Lakers) and financial sense for the other (the Grizzlies).
The Lakers were coming off two consecutive first round exits to the run n’ gun Suns, and an emerging Andrew Bynum went down with an early season injury. Kobe publicly wanted out, unless management acquired a superstar to join him; Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal and Jason Kidd were amongst the names the Lakers targeted to attempt to appease Bryant. In short, things didn’t look so sunny in Los Angeles. The Lakers desperately needed frontcourt help as much as Skylar Grey and Eminem need a doctor.
In Memphis, the Grizzlies were stuck in limbo between perennial first round jobbers (three playoff appearances, zero wins) and watching the playoffs on TV annually. The Grizzles weren’t going anywhere with Pau as their centerpiece, and Wallace knew it, so he decided to blow the team up and create some cap space.
The trade satisfied the needs of both parties. The results speak for themselves.
Next: A Late Bloomer
The duo of Kobe and Gasol has led the Lakers to three finals appearances in the last four years, winning back to back championships in 2009 and 2010. With Gasol, the Lakers have one of the biggest front courts of the league, being able to field three seven footers in Odom, Bynum and Gasol. Bynum’s creaky knees are also not as heavily relied upon.
For Memphis the trade hasn’t paid dividends until this year. The “throw-ins” from the trade have become valuable rotation players for this up and coming Grizzlies team.
Wallace has converted those two draft choices into Greivis Vasquez (the unlikely game four hero) and Darrell Arthur (their energizer bunny off the bench).
Then there’s the younger Gasol, Marc; through considerable off-season training, Marc shed 25-30 pounds while retaining his muscle to able to compete with the quicker posts in the NBA. All that work is finally paying off as Marc is quickly stepping out of his older brother’s shadow.
Marc and his low post partners Zach Randolph have become the low post tag team champions of the NBA: combining to score 50 points, corral 20 boards and shoot over 60 per cent in this year’s playoffs.
Of course the pieces from that trade are not the sole reason behind Memphis’ surprising success. Wallace courted defensive specialist Tony Allen from Boston in the off-season and acquired another defensive menace in Shane Battier before the trade deadline; adding them to the established core of players Wallace had drafted (OJ Mayo, Mike Conley Jr., Sam Young).
Interestingly, the Grizzlies only carved their identity when their star, Rudy Gay, went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. The Grizzlies playoff strategy was truly a manifestation of the slogans on the t-shirts they sell: “All heart. Grit. Grind.”
No one can question the Grizzlies’ heart and passion on the defensive end, anchored by Battier and Allen. And on offence, their approach is simple yet effective, dump the ball into Z-Bo or Marc and let them grind out two points.
Next: Turning the Tables
It’s ironic how things come full circle.
With the Lakers failing to get anything going in the game two of their series against Dallas, the chorus of boos engulfing STAPLES Center were reminiscent of those directed at the man who Kupchak traded for Pau: Kwame Brown.
When the trade went down three years ago, the Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich suggested there should be a trade committee that can veto NBA trades. “I would’ve voted no to the L.A. trade,” said Popovich. This year, Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies were the ones to slam the door shut on the Spurs’ title window.
The Gasol brothers have always possessed something the other didn’t. Pau needed a bit more of Marc’s ruthless aggression, while Marc could use a bit of Pau’s finesse around the hoop. But now, they share do share one thing: playoff success.
With the Grizzlies rapidly on the rise and the Lakers’ future looking cloudier than ever with the looming off-season filled with vital decisions, dare I say that the Pau Gasol trade made three years ago can finally be classified as one.