Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com have columns out today packed with juicy draft and trade rumors.
Let’s throw out some of the most pertinent nuggets and then break them down.
First, from Givony’s Draft Express piece:
Numerous teams we spoke with today discussed the rumors of a potential draft-night trade that is making the rounds in NBA circles. Presuming that Derrick Rose goes #1, Miami would select Michael Beasley at #2 regardless, and wait to see if O.J. Mayo were to fall to the 5th overall pick. If that indeed was the case, Memphis would select him, and then trade him to Miami along with Mike Miller in exchange for Mark Blount and Beasley.Seattle is also reportedly trying hard to move up to #2, and is dangling Chris Wilcox as bait (in exchange for the cumbersome contract of Mark Blount). The Supersonics would also take Beasley there. This is all assuming that O.J. Mayo doesn’t go third to Minnesota, which is not something teams should take for granted just yet based off what we know so far.
Memphis’ additional first round selection, the #28 pick, acquired from the Lakers in the Pau Gasol trade, is also reportedly in play. Rumors have the Grizzlies potentially trading this pick to Denver along with Kyle Lowry in exchange for the #20 pick. It’s possible that they would try and leap-frog the Orlando Magic and select Courtney Lee, who reportedly had a terrific workout there last week.
And, now, from Chad Ford’s report:
The Wolves seem especially ready to make a deal if Michael Beasley isn't on the board at No. 3. They like several of the bigs in this draft, including Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and Danilo Gallinari, but none of them is worth taking at No. 3.It appears the Wolves won't take back veterans, though. Several GMs told me that Kevin McHale is looking for young players only.
• With the Lakers flaming out in the Finals, it didn't take long for speculation about Lamar Odom to begin. A number of teams covet Odom because of his expiring contract.I'd expect the Lakers to hear from the Nets (for Richard Jefferson), the Bulls (for Andres Nocioni), the Kings (for Ron Artest) and the Grizzlies (for Mike Miller).
The Lakers and Grizzlies, as you might remember, have a history.
• The hottest rumor of the day has the Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets talking about a swap that would send Kyle Lowry and the No. 28 pick to Denver for the No. 20 and Linas Kleiza.
Let’s start with the big one: Michael Beasley.
There’s a lot of chatter about Beasley being obtainable in this draft and the Grizzlies are getting more attention as a potential suitor than any other team. I believe that Miami’s pick is in play and I know that the Grizzlies have a lot of interest in Beasley. Actually pulling something off, with Minnesota and Seattle standing in the way, seems unlikely, which is why I’ve proposed pulling Minnesota into a three-way deal with Memphis and Miami as the best way to get this done.
The Draft Express rumor suggests Miami would take Beasley at #2 and then look to deal him to Memphis if O.J. Mayo is on the board at #5. What are the odds of this? Mayo seems to have established himself as the #3 prospect on the board. Minnesota could well take him third and, if not, Seattle could certainly take him at #4 to attempt to force a trade with Miami. The other complication, suggested in the Chad Ford piece, is that there are several teams lower in the lottery — he cites the Knicks, Clippers, and Bucks — interested in moving up to go after Mayo. If Minnesota is interested in Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, and Danilo Gallinari, then they could easily work out a swap with one of those teams and still get one of those three players. Another reason Minnesota really needs to be brought into a deal between Miami and Memphis.
It makes sense that Miami would prefer to deal with Memphis, as the Grizzlies have more assets of interest to the Heat. (If Miami doesn’t want Michael Beasley, why would they want Chris Wilcox?) But it seems to me the only way a two-way deal between the Heat and Grizzlies happens is if Miami is willing to deal even with Mayo off the board.
On the Nuggets rumor: I haven’t heard anything of this sort, but when Tywon Lawson pulled out of the draft, I started wondering about it. Kyle Lowry is just the sort of tough point guard Denver is looking for and won’t be able to find in the draft.
That said, neither of these variations seems quite right. Givony has Lowry and #28 heading to Denver for #20. I think Lowry is too much to give up to move eight spots in the back half of the first round in this draft.
On the other hand, the Ford variation — Lowry and #28 for Linas Kleiza and #20 ¬— is probably too good to be true. Kleiza is, at minimum, a comparable player to Lowry and fits a greater need — a tough-minded combo forward who can stroke the three. Making that swap and moving up in the draft would be a great deal for the Grizzlies.
More reasonably from the perspective of both teams is probably a straight-up swap of Lowry for the #20 pick.
If something of this sort does happen — and some variation on Lowry to Denver makes tons of sense — I completely believe Givony’s assertion that Courtney Lee could be the Grizzlies’ target. Lee had a terrific workout here and Grizzlies insiders I’ve talked to doubt he’ll slip to #28. If a trade of this sort happened in conjunction with a Miami deal that included Mike Miller, it would make even more sense.
For what it's worth: I put no credence in the suggestion that the Grizzlies would deal Miller for Lamar Odom, unless they ended up getting a guard at #5, in which case I suppose it might be possible.
One final Grizzlies tidbit this morning: Draft workouts in Memphis are on hold right now, but there is likely to be at least one more prior to the draft. The Grizzlies are expecting to get Chris Douglas-Roberts in next Wednesday, the day before the draft. There’s a decent chance Douglas-Roberts will still be on the board at #28, something I don’t think the player or his handlers believed a couple of weeks ago.
The Grizzlies would very much like to get Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon in for that workout as well, but the Chad Ford piece today says that Westbrook has shut down all workouts. Gordon would seem to be a viable pick at #5 for the Grizzlies, but I’ve sensed differing opinions on his potential among different segments of the basketball staff. I think drafting Gordon without a workout is probably a longshot.
