Quick Thoughts On Wallace Press Conference
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace just met with local media to talk about today’s trade.
A few quick notes from the press conference, with more substantial thoughts to follow later:
Wallace implied that the primary thing the team was looking for in a Gasol trade was financial flexibility to make the team a potential player in free agency this summer or perhaps in the summer of 2009. With the Lakers providing the biggest available expiring contract in the form of Kwame Brown while also having a young asset in Javaris Crittenton that Wallace liked, they became the best trade partner in the team’s eyes. That the deal helps the Lakers so much was immaterial, according to Wallace.
Wallace acknowledged changing his mind about Gasol’s future on the team over the course of the season, citing the team’s dismal record as prime motivator, though I suspect that Gasol’s lack of fan appeal and locker-room chemistry issues also played big roles.
Adding Crittenton to Michael Conley and Kyle Lowry gives the team three talented young point guards. Wallace was pretty direct in saying that the team would eventually deal from strength in moving one of these players to fill another need and suggested that a deal of that sort was likely to happen before next season. I suspect that Kyle Lowry will ultimately be the odd man out. More on that in the next post.
Wallace also implied that the rights to Marc Gasol would likely be used as a trade chip in the future.
Wallace denied that there was any kind of financial directive from team ownership driving the deal and instead insisted that this trade gives the team “a greater opportunity to be a really good team down the road” than potential deals that may have brought more established players rather than a mix of cap space, picks, and prospects.
Even though the move looks like a long-range one, Wallace said he hopes to have “everything in place” in the next 2-3 years.
Wallace said that he personally met with Juan Carlos Navarro today and assured Navarro that the team didn’t consider he and Gasol to be a package deal. Wallace implied that Navarro could still very well be a part of the team’s long-range plans, depending, in part, on what happens in the draft. Navarro will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Wallace wouldn’t confirm the widely rumored trade of Stromile Swift to the New Jersey Nets for center Jason Collins, but did say that the team had an announcement scheduled for Monday.
Again, much more on this trade and what it all means later.
