It wasn’t too long ago that a Gasol left Memphis.

The eldest Gasol brother, Pau, requested a trade out of the Bluff City as things started to deteriorate. It wasn’t entirely his fault - there were members in the fan base that turned on him, the team’s ownership and direction was in question, and multiple players were either injured or coming off of injury. The organization had a tough decision to make: trade your best player and head down the road of a rebuild, or keep him despite his wish to head out of town.

They chose to move on.

Fast forward a decade, and yet again a Gasol finds himself at a crossroads. This time it’s Marc looking down the barrel of an uncertain future as a fading star in an evolving NBA galaxy. Marc has struggled mightily at times this season, posting a career low 42.3% shooting and the lowest net rating of his career (-4). There are reasons for this, of course - Mike Conley has struggled when he has played, and he’s been out for weeks now. Those who remain are not good enough to fill that void, and Marc’s own basketball mortality is on display more than ever. It isn’t just that’s he’s now the focus of opposing defenses - he’s actually being doubled less than normal