"Whole league was still pi**ed off": Brian Windhorst revisits how LA Lakers fleeced Memphis in Pau Gasol trade

Pau Gasol will always be remembered for his stint with the LA Lakers, which helped the team gain two more banners in the rafters. However, many in the league were left unhappy with how the Lakers got him, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst went down memory lane to talk about the historical moment.

Gasol's addition to the Los Angeles squad was the right move as he helped Kobe Bryant win two more rings. The Lakers sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 to the Memphis Grizzlies. What's interesting was McKie was already an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers when the deal was made.

​

Windhorst also pointed out that the value the Memphis Grizzlies got at the time made the team weaker. The Gasol trade was also the reason why the league wasn't sympathetic towards the Chris Paul trade that got vetoed by David Stern.

In 2011, the New Orleans Hornets were still owned by the league, and the Lakers were looking to trade for a new star. Their target was Chris Paul in exchange for the Spanish star. But the commissioner at the time vetoed the trade.

​

​

"There was zero sympathy in the league for Chris Paul's trade getting voided," Windhorst said. "Because the whole league was still pi**ed off about the value that they got.

"His impact on the league when he became a Laker is legendary, one of the biggest trades in the last 20 years."

​

Looking at it, the Grizzlies got players who weren't impressive enough. McKie was waived by Memphis, and he returned to coaching. Kwame Brown, on the other hand, wasn't signed by the team over the summer. The only positive they got was Marc Gasol, who developed into a defensive stalwart over the years with the franchise.

You might also be interested in reading this: Pau Gasol recalls Kobe Bryant’s iconic welcome message to Lakers at 00:00: "Let's go win a championship together"

---

Pau Gasol arrival saved Kobe Bryant's time with the Lakers

Kobe Bryant, left, and Pau Gasol

​

​

Before Pau Gasol's arrival, the Lakers were a struggling franchise led by Kobe Bryant. They were missing a star who would help them become a contender. Brian Windhorst talked about how the six-time All-Star boosted their chances of becoming champions once he arrived.

​

​

"Pau Gasol made Kobe's life bearable. Because when he was losing as a Laker, it was unbearable," Windhorst said.

With Gasol, they stopped the superteam of the Boston Celtics and won back-to-back titles, helping Bryant get more rings than his former co-star, Shaquille O'Neal.

​