The trade that changed the Memphis Grizzlies forever didn’t look like much for Memphis at the time. In fact, on Feb. 1, 2008, it looked like the Lakers had landed the clear prize.
Memphis shipped All-Star big man Pau Gasol to Los Angeles for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, a 2008 first-round pick, a 2010 first-round pick, and the draft rights to Pau’s younger brother Marc Gasol. The deal came three weeks before the 2007-08 trade deadline, and the return seemed thin from the start. Brown, Crittenton and McKie carried little value, and Marc Gasol was still viewed as a second-round pick from the 2007 draft who was playing in Spain.
Most of what people expected from that package played out exactly that way. Crittenton lasted 35 total games with Memphis before being traded to the Washington Wizards during the 2008-09 season.
Brown appeared in 15 games in 2007-08, put up 3.5 points per game, and moved on to the Detroit Pistons before the 2008-09 season. McKie was hurt for nearly all of his final two seasons with the Lakers, never played for Memphis, and was waived in May 2008.
The draft picks didn’t exactly transform the franchise either. The 2008 first-rounder landed at No. 28, where Memphis took Donte Greene before dealing his rights to the Houston Rockets for forward Darrell Arthur.
Arthur spent five seasons with the Grizzlies and was part of the playoff rotation, though injuries limited him to 32 games in 2009-10, kept him out for the entire 2011-12 season and restricted him to 59 games in 2012-13. The 2010 first-round pick became Greivis Vasquez, who was traded to the New Orleans Hornets after his rookie season.
The one piece Memphis got back that actually mattered - and then some - was Marc Gasol.
He arrived in 2008-09 and immediately became a fixture in the starting lineup and the center of the Grizzlies’ defense. That first season, he averaged 11.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and earned Second Team All-Rookie honors. From there, his rise went well beyond what anyone could have forecast when the trade was made.
Gasol made his first All-Star Game in 2011-12, then won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13 while helping Memphis reach the Western Conference Finals. In 2014-15, he and the Grizzlies put together what was arguably their best season of the Grit and Grind era. Gasol earned First Team All-NBA honors, and Memphis finished 55-27.
His impact is stamped all over the franchise record book. His jersey number hangs in the rafters at FedExForum, and he stands as the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in minutes played, blocks and rebounds.
The irony is that the deal worked for Los Angeles too. Pau Gasol made the All-Star team and earned All-NBA honors in each of his next three seasons with the Lakers, then teamed with Kobe Bryant to win NBA titles in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Memphis also has a strong case for another trade when people talk about the most important one in team history: the July 2009 move that brought Zach Randolph from the Los Angeles Clippers for Quentin Richardson. Randolph’s number hangs in the rafters at FedExForum alongside Gasol’s and Tony Allen’s.
Even with that competition, the Gasol swap still sits at the top. Memphis traded away its first All-Star and got back his younger brother, who became the greatest player in franchise history.
In Other News...
Grizzlies Schedule Includes 3 Games Fans Will Take Personally
The NBAs latest schedule drop gave Memphis fans a few dates to circle, and not just because the Grizzlies will be in the national spotlight. Opening Week, Christmas Day and the NBA Cup all delivered matchups with extra edge, from a meeting with Washington that could feature top 2026 NBA Draft names AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer to a familiar face on the opposing sideline. For a team that has spent the past few years building around a hard-nosed identity and a loud home floor, these are the kind of games that tend to carry a little more noise than usual.
One of the biggest draws on the slate is a home game that brings back a franchise centerpiece in a new uniform, the sort of night that instantly changes the mood inside the building. Another date sends former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins back to Memphis as the opponent, adding another layer to a schedule already loaded with intrigue. The league may have just been releasing calendars, but for Memphis, it also handed fans a few reminders that not every marquee matchup comes with a conference rival attached. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Wells Just Fueled Grizzlies Hype Around Cam Boozer
Jaylen Wells has already seen enough to buy into the buzz around Cam Boozer. After the 2024 NBA Draft and Summer League, the All-Rookie First-Team guard said he believes Boozer has the kind of talent that can put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation and, eventually, make him a star in Memphis. It is the sort of praise that tends to land differently when it comes from a young player who is part of the same emerging core.
For the Grizzlies, the excitement around Boozer fits a bigger picture that is still taking shape. Memphis has been trying to build around its next wave, and Boozers combination of skill and upside has only added to the optimism surrounding the rebuild. Wells comments do not change the fact that so much of this remains projection, but they do show how quickly confidence can grow when a promising young player starts looking like more than just a draft-night idea. [Read more 🡒]