Man if we could do that Heat trade where we give up Mike Conley and the #5 for the #2 and Daequan Cook, I would jump on it so fast. I mean we could always draft another point guard of the future in '09 or sign one in free agency when Jason Collins' contract expires. Also, we would still have Mike Miller so we could trade him for the rights to a point guard this year like DJ Augustine and an expiring contract, or we could use him to acquire a big man in the draft or even one on a current team as long as he is young and talented. We could be good if we just made the right moves and Heisley wasn't always trying to cut costs.

The conley and 5 pick for #2 and daquan cook seems to be the Heat's counter offer for beasley. This still seems like a deal you need to make, but the grizz would much prefer to do the first miller/lowry/#5 deal.

Also, Wallace is the master at keeping his mouth moving without saying anything. I would be very surprised if they were actively trying to trade for a veteran, unless that vet were 25 or under and named carmelo anthony.

On draft night if we come away with 2 good young players (ie, 1 starter, 1 key reserve), we would be in great shape with our salaries coming off the books right when we need to re-up our young core.

I am sure Chris will talk about it later today, but here is a very interesting rumor that has popped up on ESPN.com.

Apparently, Pat Riley has been calling around checking to see what he can get for the number 2 pick. One of the teams he seems most interested in trading with are the Grizzlies. The trade being proposed is the 2nd pick and Daequan Cook to the Grizzlies for the 5th pick and Mike Conley.

If this is for real, the Griz should absolutely do this. I know Conley is supposed to be the Grizzlies' PG of the future, but I think Beasley is almost a guaranteed future All-Star. And the team has some nice depth at the PG position anyway. This also lets us keep Mike Miller as either a piece of the puzzle or trade-bait for another deal.

Biggie (That's Chris Wallace to all you non-hip-hop fans) is just playing his hand. He's going to try to make the best deal he can for his team, but facts are facts: We don't know what the other four teams ahead of us are doing, and he can't decide until then.

Nobody is talking about the possibility that Miami just takes Mayo at 2. If they want him that badly, that could happen, and all these scenarios go out the window.

We won't know for two days, but man isn't trade/draft speculation fun!

Ok, I have a crazy scenario I want to throw out there. Let me say up front that I don't think this will happen. But the idea popped in my head, and actually makes some sense.

Here it goes:

What if the veteran player that Wallace is referring to is Dwyane Wade?

The trade scenario I came up with is Miami trades D-Wade and Blount to the Grizzlies for the 5th pick, Mike Miller, and Kyle Lowry. This sounds nuts, right? Well, look at it from both perspectives.

The Heat are in rebuilding mode. This would allow them to take Beasley with the 2nd pick, and possibly grab Mayo with the 5th. They also fill two other spots that they desperately need help in at PG and SG, while shedding Blount's contract from the books. Suddenly, Miami has an all new young and talented team, at the cost of their one big star. It would be risky, but Riley has taken his share of chances. D-Wade is an amazing player. But, if Riley decides they can't compete sooner rather than later, then the best time to trade Wade would be now. This is when he has as much value as he will ever have.

Now the Grizzlies side of the equation is more obvious. They get a superstar-caliber player who will immediately fill seats in FedEx Forum. A back court of Conley, Wade, and Gay would be potent for years to come.

Like I said though, it is still pretty crazy. But a guy can dream, right?

Here is what I think we should do on draft night. Give up Mike Miller and the 5th pick for the second pick and Mark Blount. If we need to give them Kyle Lowry, so be it. We need to do whatever it takes to get Beasley. I mean a core of Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, and Beasley is nuts. And hey, we could go after Monta Ellis in free agency. Now imagine a core of Conley, Ellis, Gay, and Beasley. Wow. That's a championship team in a few years. If we can't pull him away from the Warriors, then we can just go after an all-star in '09 when Jason Collins' contract expires. I mean we did trade Gasol for cap room for a reason right? The '09 group of free agents is supposed to be stellar.
Also, I would love to somehow get DeAndre Jordan at 28. The kid has so much talent and Dwight Howard-like potential. We would let him develop for a few years under Marc Gasol and Darko and see how he turns out. If he's the next Dwight Howard, Javaris pans out, and we sign a top-tier free agent, then the Pau trade was genious. But that's a lot that has to happen and it's unlikely that it will all happen.
But if all else fails and we can't get Beasley, I think we should draft Eric Gordon and trade Mike Miller for a late-lottery pick and an expiring contract so we can get someone like Darrell Arthur or Anthony Randolph at that spot. Also, we should trade Kyle Lowry and the 28th to Denver for Kleiza and the 20th. This is what I think we should do if we can't get Beasley.
The last thing I want to say is that if we trade the 5th to New York along with Cardinal for David Lee and Malik Rose, I will be sick. How could management do that to the fans, or even the coaches and other players? I'm so tired of Heisley trying to cut payroll. That's a terrible owner that doesn't care about winning. Now, if Wallace was telling the truth, we won't do this trade and I will be far more confident in our front office. If Heisley wants to increase ticket sales, David Lee is sure as hell not the way to go. Beasley is for sure. We fans deserve to have a playoff team that can actually win a game, and I'm afraid we won't get one for like 6 years, if ever (if Heisley sells the team and the new owner decides to relocate). One thing's for sure- the fans will know what direction this team is going in on June 26th. I hope it's the right one.

I'm going to get into the draft heavily tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday, but a few quick responses to these comments and questions:

If the draft plays out Rose-Beasley-Love-Mayo, then I'd look at Eric Gordon and Danilo Gallinari at #5. I've got questions about both of those guys, though, so I'd certainly explore the option of trading down (or, I guess, out), but not for either of those deals Chad Ford mentioned.

As for judging Wallace, I'd caution all fans to withhold criticism or praise until something actually happens rather than getting too worked up over rumors and assumptions. My experience with Wallace is that he's very open with the media but also cautious. For a guy who's talking alot, he's holding his cards very closely. I think pretty much anything -- short of getting Derrick Rose -- is possible at this point.

As far as veterans -- you're right, trading a draft pick for a player in their late 20s (or older) would go against everything Michael Heisley has explicitly said and everything everyone I know believes about the direction of the team. But, someone like David Lee would still fit the youth movement. I like Lee, I just don't like that trade.

To answer Chris' question I think if the draft goes Rose, Beasley, Mayo and Love then Memphis should take Eric Gordon and not trade down.

There aren't any non-rookie contracts on this team with more than two years remaining on them. The team doesn't need to get rid of salary. The Grizzlies need to acquire talent to have any attempt at winning later. Unused cap space won't produce a winner in Memphis.

I am usually very optomistic about the Grizzlies but trading down is telling me the team has no intention of winning any time in the future.

I don't understand the talk of a veteran. There doesn't appear to be any young veterans on the trade block, and I think I've read that either CW or Heisley had mentioned after the Pau trade that they didn't want to bring in a 30+ veteran b/c the Grizz are a few years away and when they are ready to compete the veteran could be on the decline. I say you have to take the young guy this year and then try and get a guy in freeagency next summer. If nothing else they have to do it for season ticket holders. While Love may not be a consensus choice, he would still create some excitement to some fans. But if we were to get David Lee, even if he turns out to be great, the arena would be empty for opening night.

This is very disturbing. Wallace sounds like he has made up his mind to forego on getting a good young prospect and instead getting a veteran. If he trades the #5 pick for Lee and Rose and passes on getting Mayo or Beese then he should immediately be fired. This would be one more indication that he is under directions of Heisley to lose all the fans that are left and make it so unappealing to go to a game that he has to move the team away.

If the top 4 picks are Rose, Beasley, Love and Mayo, do you think the team should try to trade down or still draft at the 5 spot?