Marc Gasol is still the Raptors' dream, but they should wait

The Toronto Raptors have chased Marc Gasol for going on half a decade.

When the idea was first floated in 2014, Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail described Gasol as a "Jungian figure that features prominently in (general manager) Masai Ujiri's bedside dream diary." A year later, Kelly wrote that Gasol remained a "fixation."

Trade interest reached a fever pitch in 2016, when ESPN's Zach Lowe reported that rival executives wondered if the Raptors would swap Jonas Valanciunas, along with additional assets, for Big Spain. Those plans were dashed, however, when Gasol suffered a season-ending foot injury a month later, and the rumors remained dormant until the Grizzlies's 11-game losing streak this season.

As the possibility of a rebuild was revived in Memphis, the Valanciunas-Gasol framework resurfaced, and Mitch Lawrence of Forbes named the Raptors as a possible landing spot for Gasol.

And no matter what the Grizzlies might say publicly, the soon-to-be 33-year-old is more attainable than ever. The 7-footer desperately wants to play with a winning organization before his prime ends. The Raptors, perpetually one piece short, may be looking at their best chance to finally land him.

But they should wait, at least until the summer.

Gasol would indeed be the perfect third star for a Raptors team that's earned a reputation for coming up short in the postseason.

Something about their offense just doesn't carry over. They score with ruthless efficiency in the regular season, but when it counts, their attack devolves into a mess of unimaginative isolation sequences.

The backcourt combination of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan needs help. Playoff defenses have more time to scout and prepare for specific opponents, and reshape their strategies in order to deny dribble penetration. Lowry and DeRozan see double teams and can't collapse the paint, and Toronto lacks a third option to take pressure off the guards.

Ideally, that third star would be a big man like Gasol, who can consistently make a play in four-on-three scenarios and defend at a high level.

Gasol can hit from deep (37 percent on 3.8 attempts in the last two season), he's a brilliant passer from the center position, and he can take a few dribbles and drive straight to the rim or post up for a layup. He's also a former Defensive Player of the Year. His positional defense is impeccable, he's an excellent communicator, he has the bulk to stop the league's giants, and he's a credible shot blocker; he checks all the boxes.

The Raptors have tried to plug the gap with more limited options, but it hasn't worked. Valanciunas could score but couldn't pass or defend; Bismack Biyombo defended but couldn't score or pass; Patrick Patterson's outside shot was inconsistent, and he lost confidence too easily. While Serge Ibaka's an improvement over all three, his passing is questionable, he seems overly confident in his streaky jumper, and he's undersized when he plays center.

Toronto is trying to diversify its offense and get role players more comfortable with making plays without Lowry and DeRozan. However, the young bench that's carried the Raptors all season is unproven in a playoff setting, none of its pieces have established themselves as reliable shooters, and they don't currently project as elite talents.

Gasol, meanwhile, is a postseason veteran who's delivered at the highest levels. He guided Memphis to six straight playoff appearances, where he averaged 17.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep.

If Raptors are serious about competing, they need to make fewer compromises and play more proven, high-end talent. Gasol is a perfect counterweight for Toronto's star backcourt. There's a reason why the franchise has chased him for all this time, and the Raptors have enough assets to get him.

Here's the trouble: Adding Gasol this season would cause all sorts of problems for Raptors president Ujiri, and Memphis may not be completely ready to let go.

The Grizzlies need to make some decisions about their future. Their ownership structure is in flux, they're hemorrhaging money, and their main basketball decision-maker is rarely seen around the team. A rebuild makes sense, but it's not easy for a tiny market to bite the bullet and endure a few lean years. The urge to ride Gasol until the bitter end is understandable.

Meanwhile, the Raptors aren't built to make a blockbuster trade. Shipping off some combination of Valanciunas and prospects for Gasol would be an upgrade in talent. However, it'd also require the team to redesign its rotation, establish a new pecking order, and find enough touches for Gasol in a matter of months, while also figuring out how to handle the redundancy of Ibaka playing center.

And the cost of keeping the Raptors together would become ludicrous. Adding Gasol would mean four Raptors making more than $21 million, including Lowry, whose salary rises to over $30 million next season. Norman Powell's extension is set to kick in next summer too. Toronto would be paying an enormous luxury tax until 2020 for a team that, even with Gasol, isn't necessarily on the verge of contending.

It's much more feasible to trade for Gasol next summer.

The Raptors will have significantly more clarity and flexibility about their salary situation. Powell will become eligible to be traded, and could be a pivotal piece in a Gasol deal. The team's young prospects will have had more time to accrue value. And, in all likelihood, Gasol will be cheaper to acquire.

Toronto will also have a much clearer idea of the Eastern Conference landscape - determined, as usual, by LeBron James. If he migrates West, that puts the Raptors just a half-step behind the Boston Celtics for a potential Finals appearance, and they should definitely make a splash. But if James stays in the East and reloads with more talent, then it may not make sense to add Gasol.

Taking this approach does run the risk that another team swoops in to nab him first, but that's still better than getting locked into an expensive core built around two over-30 stars. If the Raptors rashly deal their prospects in a move that doesn't push them over the top, they could end up in the same purgatory as the Grizzlies.

The Raptors have already waited this long for Gasol. They might as well hold off for a little bit longer.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)