The Grizzlies moving from Vancouver to Memphis broke the hearts of the fans

Swift was a significant figure for the Grizzlies in the 2000s in Vancouver and Memphis.

Stromile Swift was among the most prominent players in the Grizzlies organization in the 2000s. At first, Swift was selected as the second-overall pick in the 2000 Draft while the franchise was still in Vancouver.

Since he was such a fresh face in the 2000s, he appreciated the love from the Vancouver fans, but the team had to move to Memphis in his sophomore season. As he connected to the fans during his first year, Stromile had the experience of being one of the few players who had to transition between the two cities.

“It was tough seeing fans in Canada because they loved Grizzlies basketball. They were crazy, but I think the team was losing money,” Swift said about the move to Memphis. “The fans that we did have, they enjoyed the team being there. Seeing people crying because this team was about to leave was sad. We were more excited for the players because we had more money.”

Moving to Memphis was needed for the franchise

Since the Grizzlies were an expansion team added in 1995 alongside its fellow Canadian franchise, the Toronto Raptors, they were under pressure to deliver some results. The ownership group would have been OK with them if they had performed better because they had delivered revenue.

Unfortunately, the owners had to sell the team because they were losing money. They had to sell to Michael Heisley, who initially said he wanted the team to stay in Vancouver, but the move to Memphis was too alluring.

The team became profitable in Memphis as the city embraced the franchise. At the same time, the players were in better spirits. As Swift said, he and his teammates did not have to pay the tax in Vancouver, which was double what they could have gotten in USA-based teams.

Swift had to adjust after moving to Memphis

He was pleased that the team had new ownership because it looked like the franchise was already pivoting toward new players in the same position. Since Swift played the power forward role, it was awkward when the team picked Pau Gasol in 2001 ahead of the move to Memphis.

This made Stromile a bit expendable because Gasol was the better player. Thankfully, there was no bad blood because Swift saw how good the Spaniard was, and he deserved the starting spot.

“I was trying to test him to see where he’s at. When I say skilled, seven-foot, left-hand jump hook, right-hand jump hook, mid-range, I was just like, ‘Damn, I might be in trouble.’ When I understood the politics, this dude was so big.” Stromile said about Pau.

Swift had no ill will towards the team because he loved playing for them. He was traded back to Memphis in 2006, which was a natural move for him because he loved playing for the organization enough to be the last Vancouver Grizzlies player to be with the team in the mid-2000s.

Related: Marcus Smart shares critical injury update after preseason scare