Haven't really had a chance to post my thoughts on the deal.
I think it's a good move just because of how low risk it is. The biggest risk is that you don't get as much out of Gasol as you got with Jonas, which is possible on the offensive end, but I think the defense and the passing in particular is a huge upgrade. The one thing the Raptors didn't have on their roster until this point is a playmaking big man, Ibaka and Val are both below average passers even for their positions. This could smooth out Toronto's offense quite a bit, especially when Lowry sits.
Really they didn't give up a single great asset. Valanciunas is a good player with terrific pick and roll skills, but he's on a slight overpay contract and there's just matchups he can't really play in, and they're getting more and more common in today's NBA. There's a reason when he was healthy, Ibaka was finishing 75% of games despite arguably not being purely as good a player. Wright really wasn't going anywhere as a Raptor, it's hard to see them committing to him past the 2020 threshold of when the team's contracts all run out as a third string point guard who should earn more money than that typically calls for. Miles has sadly become a zero on both ends so trading him is just losing an expiring for (probably) committed 2019-20 money in Gasol, which is fine. That second round pick in 2024 could be pick 33 for all we know, but you throw it in if you need to get the deal done.
I think this will work well for team chemistry rather than negatively, and Gasol when he is on (like at the start of this season) is an All Star level beast. I don't think this is the massive upgrade that some outsiders will probably see it as, but I think it's a low cost slight upgrade, which you have to take at this stage.
I think it's a good move just because of how low risk it is. The biggest risk is that you don't get as much out of Gasol as you got with Jonas, which is possible on the offensive end, but I think the defense and the passing in particular is a huge upgrade. The one thing the Raptors didn't have on their roster until this point is a playmaking big man, Ibaka and Val are both below average passers even for their positions. This could smooth out Toronto's offense quite a bit, especially when Lowry sits.
Really they didn't give up a single great asset. Valanciunas is a good player with terrific pick and roll skills, but he's on a slight overpay contract and there's just matchups he can't really play in, and they're getting more and more common in today's NBA. There's a reason when he was healthy, Ibaka was finishing 75% of games despite arguably not being purely as good a player. Wright really wasn't going anywhere as a Raptor, it's hard to see them committing to him past the 2020 threshold of when the team's contracts all run out as a third string point guard who should earn more money than that typically calls for. Miles has sadly become a zero on both ends so trading him is just losing an expiring for (probably) committed 2019-20 money in Gasol, which is fine. That second round pick in 2024 could be pick 33 for all we know, but you throw it in if you need to get the deal done.
I think this will work well for team chemistry rather than negatively, and Gasol when he is on (like at the start of this season) is an All Star level beast. I don't think this is the massive upgrade that some outsiders will probably see it as, but I think it's a low cost slight upgrade, which you have to take at this stage.
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