While the Anthony Davis trade talks have dominated the news cycle this week, there are plenty of other players who could be on the move, including some pretty big names in Memphis.
According to a report from Shams Charania, Marc Gasol could be the first of the Grizzlies' longtime leaders to be shipped out of town. Per Charania, Memphis is in "strong talks" with the Charlotte Hornets on a Gasol deal.
Memphis is in strong talks to move franchise star Marc Gasol to Charlotte, league sources tell @TheAthletic @WatchStadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2019
The Grizzlies started off the season in tremendous fashion, getting off to a 15-9 start behind strong play from their two cornerstones, Gasol and Mike Conley. Things quickly fell apart after that, however, and they've won just six games since. Injuries have once again beset the team, and it didn't take long for ownership to come to the conclusion that they were ready to fully move on from the Grit'n'Grind era.
Gasol has made it known he expects a trade to Charlotte to go down:
A source close to Marc Gasol says he anticipates ending up with the Hornets. The player obviously doesn't make that final call, but it's indicative, at least, that this is still running in the direction of a deal before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) February 6, 2019
Though they had remained steadfast in their approach to keep Conley and Gasol and continue to try and build around them, reports broke in January that the team was willing to listen to offers. Now, that time has come. Gasol appears to be on his way out, and Conley is likely to follow.
As for the Hornets, they are clearly making a strong play to cement their playoff position in the East. At 26-27 they're in seventh place, with a three-game advantage over the ninth-place Pistons. After winning 48 games in 2015-16, and spending a lot of money on their current squad, they fell short of expectations, missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
They've resisted attempts by other teams to pry Kemba Walker away from them, and in looking to acquire Gasol it's clear they're eager to get back to the postseason, even though they aren't going to be contenders.