Lakers owner and former GM reflect on Pau Gasol trade ahead of jersey retirement

For an All-Star in his prime, Memphis' asking price for Gasol wasn't near what it should've been. When Buss heard about the possibility of the deal, she admitted to being concerned that another team might interfere with the deal by trying to trade for Gasol themselves. 

"I truly believe, had it leaked out, that there would've been teams in the league that would've tried to hijack it," Buss said.

Memphis kept its franchise player's availability under wraps, and Kupchak says he only became aware of it when he came across an unverified report.

"I remember there was something written or a rumor that he might be available, but it wasn't the mainstream," Kupchak told McMenamin. "So yeah, I called up [Memphis], and you can kind of tell when there's real interest or when there's not real interest."

A frustrating season and the prospect of team owner Michael Heisley selling the team led to Memphis' interest in cutting salaries in exchange for Gasol. Center Kwame Brown headlined the Lakers' package thanks to his expiring contract. 

The Lakers also traded Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Gasol's younger brother, Marc, and two first-round draft picks. Memphis sent Gasol and a second-rounder in return. 

Kupchak revealed the deal depended on McKie because salaries in the initial agreement didn't match. At the time, McKie was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, so Kupchak asked McKie's agent if he'd sign a contract and be part of the trade.

McKie agreed, and Memphis waived him after the season ended. He continued his coaching career and is the current HC of Temple's men's basketball team.

Using the freed-up cap space, Memphis traded for Zach Randolph, whose jersey is retired by the team, paving the way for the "Grit and Grind" Grizzlies era of the 2010s. A core of the younger Gasol, Randolph, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley led Memphis to seven straight playoff appearances beginning three seasons after the trade.

In Jan. 2022, Gasol shared his thoughts about his jersey retirement with McMenamin, recognizing the late great Kobe Bryant's impact on his career. Gasol admitted that without Bryant, his No. 16 jersey probably wouldn't hang in the Crypto.com Arena rafters.

"It's impossible [to separate his legacy from Bryant.] It's inevitable," said Gasol. "My number goes up there, in big reason, because of him."

Playing parts of seven seasons with the Lakers, Gasol averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. During NBA All-Star Weekend, the Spaniard was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023.