Why Marc Gasol trade 'wasn't easy' for Raptors

The trade that often comes to mind when thinking about the Toronto Raptors' championship run is the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster, and that's not without reason.

It flipped the team, city and game of basketball on its head and was ultimately the biggest reason as to why the Raptors stood atop the world for a moment in history.

Lost in the theatrics and fireworks was the other all-in play that the Raptors made that season, acquiring Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round pick — another move that destabilized the core, reshaping the roster for one shining shot at a championship.

Though the drama of the Kawhi deal reached unprecedented levels, the gossip and rumour mills that preceded and came after the deal for Gasol were certainly nothing to be ignored, and one name kept making an appearance: Kyle Lowry.

“There was some commotion at the trade deadline, there were some other deals possibly gonna go down," Nick Nurse said in the latest episode of Raptors Delight, a Sportsnet documentary about the rise of the franchise.

The former Raptors head coach was alluding to rumblings that would've seen Lowry head to the Grizzlies as part of the deal, netting point guard Mike Conley along with Gasol in return.

It might seem crazy in retrospect, but following the DeRozan-Leonard trade, Lowry's frustrations with the team and front office were apparent, and the buy-in wasn't a certainty after the franchise dealt away his best friend.

“A lot of coaches were a little frustrated and they thought he was being a distraction," former Raptor Danny Green said.

Sportsnet's Michael Grange added: “They wanted to keep Kyle Lowry. That season it had been kind of tumultuous.” 

Ultimately, of course, the Raptors held onto their superstar and adorned him with a ring after the finals run. But it didn't come without a serious look in the mirror from both the front office and the player.

"Management had a sit-down with Kyle Lowry and said ‘Listen, are you in? If we do this trade, are you with us, both feet?’" Grange said. "Once they understood that, they were pretty happy keeping Kyle Lowry.”

And they all lived happily ever after... right?

For most of the team, that would ring true. But even after the trade, certain members of the Raptors weren't too pleased with what this new star player would mean for the team.

Enter Serge Ibaka, an undeniably key figure to the Raptors' championship run, a starter for the better part of two years, and a well-established defensive stalwart. Giving up that role to a new guy five years his senior wasn't something he was sure to take sitting down.

“Marc comes in, Serge had been starting all year. I decide to keep starting Serge and I’m not sure everybody thought that was a good idea," Nurse said to Sportsnet. "And I just come bouncing out of it like, if it comes, it’s gotta come with a little bit more natural feel. That wasn’t easy. Wasn’t easy for Serge to accept that."

Ibaka was a huge piece for the Raptors in the regular season over the 2018-19 campaign, averaging 16.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while playing 29.5 minutes per game as a starter. But once Gasol came in and he had to settle for a bench role, his averages went down to 12.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists over 21.9 minutes in 23 games.

However, to win a championship, buy-in from the role players and the willingness to play for the badge on the front rather than the name on the back is key. And that's what the veteran big did.

It came down to Serge accepting his role and seeing the bigger picture," Norman Powell said. "And that buy-in helped us. We came together rather than drift apart.”

Gasol's efforts in the second round against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will live on in Raptors lore, as he held the superstar big to only 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 37.0 per cent from the field and 34.6 per cent from three-point range — well below Embiid's usually gaudy numbers.

“He’s really good. We all saw how good he was," Nurse said about Gasol. "All that dude wanted was to win, he was physical and mean and tough, smart. It was a big pickup."

And that's not even to mention what Gasol brought on offence, as his creativity down the middle opened up a myriad of possibilities for the rest of the team. Lanes opened up for cutters, perimeter players got more open looks and isolation players had more space inside the arc.

“Marc was so good that guys were fighting to play with him," Green said. "No disrespect to Serge, Serge was great, but he doesn’t see the floor as well, and he’s not gonna make that second pass.”

Gasol opened up the game on both ends of the floor and was an immeasurably large part of the Raptors winning it all. Just ask Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

“The Marc Gasol trade really triggered the ball movement and offensive flow that they had been lacking," Kerr told Sportsnet. “The pieces fit, and it’s one of the hardest things to do in the NBA. To put together the puzzle that fits perfectly.” 

Titles aren't won without making tough decisions. From the players you trade to the ones you don't, from roles that shrink to those that grow. Championships don't just land in your lap, and sacrifices need to be made by everyone in the organization. The Raptors learned that lesson at the exact right time.

The fourth episode of "Raptors Delight," titled The Prize, will air on Monday, March 24, following the Raptors' game against the Washington Wizards on Sportsnet One.