The Grizzlies had to say goodbye to veteran leader Taj Gibson as part of their trade with the Pelicans on Tuesday.
Last week, former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague explained how journeyman Taj Gibson's role with the Memphis Grizzlies said something about the organization's standpoint on veteran leadership.
Reacting to the trade, Teague called Gibson "one of the best teammates."
"He one of the best teammates, bro," Teague said on Club 520.
This trade might've been in the works for some time. Johnson and Hawkins were mentioned as potential swap candidates earlier this summer, and now they have indeed been moved for one another.
Teague and Gibson were teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves years back. Gibson has had a very long career in the NBA spanning 17 seasons. At 41, he is the second-oldest player in the league behind Philadelphia 76ers newcomer LeBron James.
With Gibson being waived by New Orleans, it's unclear if his career will continue. He can certainly provide value as a veteran voice, which is something he was praised for with Memphis. But on the floor, his impact is limited at this stage of his career.
In the last three seasons combined, he's made just 67 appearances and averaged 10.6 minutes per game. He has gone for 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest in that span.
The Grizzlies signed him as a free agent in the middle of the 2025-26 season. He made just 10 appearances after coming over.
Earlier in his career, he was a solid rotation piece, spending several seasons as a starter as he bounced around the league. That came after he was a frequent presence in the Sixth Man of the Year race earlier in his career. Gibson holds lifetime averages of 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the NBA, watered down by the fact that he has spent the last several years getting very little playing time.
If he hopes to continue his playing career, he may need to sell another team on the idea that he can play a role similar to the one Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem held for many years. Haslem was essentially a player-coach for the Heat at the end of his career, as he rarely saw game action but still held a roster spot.
Gibson may be more playable than Haslem was at the end of his career, but he is likely still going to have to use his veteran experience to try to sell a team on giving him another look.
