Pressure to Cut Salary? Ford Reports, Wallace Responds

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford sent a ripple of alarm through what remains of Grizzlies Nation with his latest mock draft this morning. In the midst of suggesting the Grizzlies might pick Indiana guard Eric Gordon at #5, Ford tossed in this sugar plum:

Quote:

Even stronger are rumors that the Grizzlies are talking to a number of teams, including the Knicks, Blazers and Suns, about deals that would send the No. 5 pick to whomever is willing to take Brian Cardinal's awful contract (2 years, $13 million left). The latest buzz has the Knicks talking to Memphis about a deal that would send David Lee and the expiring contract of Malik Rose to Memphis for No. 5 and Cardinal.

In other words, it sounds like GM Chris Wallace is, once again, being pushed by ownership to cut payroll.

I spoke to Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace today about this and other draft-related matters. Wallace, as is his policy, declined to respond to the specific trade rumors, but did respond strongly to Ford’s underlying premise.

“We’re under no pressure to reduce salary. That is not true,” Wallace said, before allowing that “we are looking at a number of proposals that could bring back a veteran player.”

Wallace traveled to Chicago to watch USC guard O.J. Mayo work out Saturday and heads to San Antonio to watch African power forward prospect Serge Ibaka tomorrow. Wednesday, the Grizzlies will hold their final pre-draft workout at FedExForum with Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts and Mississippi State’s Jamont Gordon. Douglas-Roberts initially declined a private workout for the Grizzlies, but his stock has dropped over the past couple of weeks and now could be available when the Grizzlies pick at #28.

Wallace says he expects Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and Mayo to be the first three picks in the draft and for the Seattle Sonics to choose among Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, and Stanford big man Brook Lopez.

Gordon, UCLA forward Kevin Love, and Italian forward Danilio Gallinari will join the players Seattle doesn’t pick in the mix for the Grizzlies at #5, provided the team retains that pick. Wallace acknowledged LSU forward Anthony Randolph, who weighed in at less than 200 pounds at the Orlando pre-draft camp and has worked out poorly, was out of the mix for the Grizzlies at #5.

Wallace, despite disputing Ford’s report about ownership pressure to cut salary, seemed to be preparing for the possibility of trading the #5 pick in a package for an established player.

“We tend to take for granted the talent already in the league,” Wallace said about the focus on the draft. “We have a whole team of [former] first-rounders. You have to be careful about getting so wrapped up in the draft that you forget about veterans.”

Wallace acknowledged the importance of coming out of Thursday’s draft with a core piece to add to the team’s talent base, but suggested that piece didn’t have to come at #5.

Wallace allowed that, with the draft three days away, that moving up in the draft is still a possibility, in addition to staying at #5 or trading down or out of the draft.

“Everything’s in play,” Wallace said.