The NBA Trade Rumors had the Memphis Grizzlies as the team most likely to blow up with almost every player in trade rumors.
It is not without basis, as there were rumors of Coach Dave Joerger getting fired as Zach Randolph was relegated to the bench. Z-Bo is having a tough year and despite their 14-13 record (6th in the West), there are too many problems unraveling for the Grizzlies.
As SB Nation put it, the Grizzlies' playing style of "Grit and Grind" is dying. Writer Tom Ziller pointed out that the players mostly known for their gritty play, Randolph and Tony Allen, are both struggling.
Ziller points out that Z-Bo is "34 and is having his least productive season ever in pretty much every facet of the game: Scoring, efficiency, rebounding and (based on the team results) on defense."
On the other hand, the Chicago Bulls are in a quandary about Pau Gasol. The Spanish center/forward has declared that he is most likely to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and the Bulls may lose him for nothing.
In Bill Simmons' latest podcast, he proposed to trade Pau Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Zach Randolph. In his conversation with Joe House, he implied that the trade would be intriguing, to say the least.
House said that it would be "the coolest idea" and he reasoned that "their style of play is really complementary with each other." It is also very likely that Pau Gasol will stay with Memphis for the rest of his career. Memphis is the team that drafted him and where he won Rookie of the Year in 2002. Retiring in Memphis with his brother is a great ending for him.
For the Bulls, Simmons said that pairing Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol was not good, and Noah and Randolph would be better. House also said that the Bulls could use some of Randolph's toughness. In general, the change of scenery might be beneficial for him.
Whether the two teams would agree with the popular sportswriter remains to be seen, but the prospect does have positive implications.