Pau Gasol was the best player for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2000s, the only franchise member to earn a spot in the NBA All-Star Game.
However, he did not have playoff success during his time in Memphis. While his stardom grew, the lost Grizzlies were heading for a roster rebuilding process.
On Feb. 1, 2008, the Memphis front office executed a franchise-altering trade involving Gasol. Pau and a second-round draft pick were sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol’s draft rights, and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.
Following that trade, Pau won two NBA championships with the Lakers – in 2009 and 2010.
Then-Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, who passed away in 2014, had no issues or regrets about sending to Los Angeles the piece the Lakers had been missing in their championship puzzle.
“It was a high-risk situation. It worked out well for L.A. and it worked out well for us. I didn’t give any thought that I was making L.A. a championship team,” Heisley said to the New York Times in 2011.