NBA Draft: Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo 8-Player Trade
Kev Love (photo. Matt Brown)With Bassy and Randy Foye already on the roster, it didn’t make sense that Minnesota was picking O.J. Mayo with the full intention of keeping him at No. 3. Mayo was simply the best available player on the board. And by selecting him there, the T-Wolves were able to wheel and deal later on, getting their man, Kevin Love, and a shooter better than anyone else on their roster in Mike Miller. But for Memphis… what?
Here’s the deal:
* Minnesota gets Kevin Love, Mike Miller, the awful contract of Brian Cardinal ($6.75 mil through ‘10) and Jason Collins
* Memphis gets O.J. Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckner
This deal is mind-boggling from the Grizzlies perspective on two accounts. First, Love nicely addressed their glaring need for post scoring given that Kwame Brown and Darko Milicic collectively stink. His seal-the-defender baby hook could have done well when teams are forced to guard Rudy Gay and Miller at the arc.
And second, the Grizzlies gave him and Miller up to add a fourth young guard? The contracts of Walker and Buckner aren’t guaranteed after this season, so that will clear cap space. We’d heard that the Grizzlies weren’t willing to deal Miller, the No. 5 pick, and Mike Conley to get the No. 2 pick and a bad contract from the Heat because they didn’t want to part ways with Conley. But now, if Mayo can’t make the transition to play shooting guard, they could very well stashing Conley under him on the depth chart.
By all accounts, O.J. was projecting as an NBA point guard. He doesn’t have NBA range yet, and unfortunately for Memphis, neither does Conley. With Conley, Mayo, and Gay, they’ve got three guys who can get to the cup, but no one who can really spot up and knock down jumpers.
Is Memphis turning Mayo’s rights around to another team that doesn’t have a small militia in the backcourt?
June 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Xavier Garcia says:
You guys are forgetting about Marc Gasol. Hes a very physical center that will definitely help the Grizz in the paint.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Truth says:
It’s a sad day when a BUM like Antoine Walker is gettin paid 10 mil a season. Memphis has a team option next year. They need to drop is a*s like a fat girl in a burning building on the 4th floor!! I wish the NBA would chnage this sh*tty salary structure to the way it is in the NFL, all you are garuanteed is garuanteed money, then after that. Your a*s is gone if you don’t produce.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:20 am
E-ROC says:
I guess the Grizzlies really didn’t like Brian Cardinal’s contract, lol? I don’t think Mayo and Gay will mesh well. Love and Gay would probably be a better tandem.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:22 am
daques?on says:
wow i thought this was a horrible trade for the memphis grizzlies, it wasnt that long ago that kyle lowry was supposed to be the pg of the future, then comes mike conley as the pg of the future and now oj mayo?? wtf are these ppl thinking?? especially when they needed an inside presence
June 27th, 2008 at 11:32 am
fiyaman says:
Mayo for Curry, Dantoni and the dude they just drafted
we’ll even throw in Walsh to sweetin things
June 27th, 2008 at 11:33 am
hahns says:
great trade for minny…great trade.
but for memphis, keeping love and miller would have made much more sense. gay running the wing and love throwing him outlet passes could have been a beautiful thing.
but memphis needs to get something done w/ the nuggets and the knicks. two teams that need some pgs w/ good motors.
i dont know anything about crittenton, but i say they trade lowry and crittenton to knicks nugs respectively. lowry to ny bc im a knick fan and i like lowry haha
June 27th, 2008 at 11:34 am
hahns says:
and i just realized….
a picture w/
“Gay” and “Love” standing next to each other would have been PRICELESS.
damnit…..maybe thats why they made the trade.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Junio says:
as bastketbawfull said, the Gay-Love era didn’t last long…
June 27th, 2008 at 11:36 am
fiyaman says:
@hahns
lmao GayLove
June 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am
fiyaman says:
damn y didnt we take bayless or trade the fucking pick.. if we start the season with this dude i’m boycotting all their games…
Until I see something better Fuck the Knicks.. man im so pissed i cant even worked 2day….
good thing i was stuck with the kids last night or i would have probably went out and hurt someone.. anyone
June 27th, 2008 at 11:43 am
rilla says:
this trade isn’t as bad for the grizzlies as some people seem to think. it isn’t a genius move by any means, but i can see what they were thinking.
they got rid of a player with limited upside in love for one with arguably the most upside in the entire draft with mayo. and, playing for the grizzlies will allow him to play at his NATURAL position, which is shooting guard.
and the grizzlies are going to move lowry soon, which will alleviate the so-called “guard glut” they have. if mayo turns into a star (very possible), this trade could actually be a big win for the grizzlies.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:43 am
djkianoosh says:
it can still happen when the two teams meet up! LOL
ewww..
not that there’s anything wrong with that
memphis is everybody’s bitch trading partner. they’re like the washington redskins.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Bond says:
Just when you thought Chris Wallace couldn’t screw up his team even more he goes and totally redeems himself.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Sam I Am says:
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
WHO’s that WOLVES FAN… I AM I AM I AM…
Screw Mayo, I got faith Foye will come thru with his potential…
Bring forth young Miller… the whitest black baller I’ve seen
June 27th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Timmy D says:
Everyone is so full of it. If any other team in the league traded for OJ Mayo everyone would be ranting about how great is was to get him. But when Memphis does it all people can do is complain. Memphis needs a star and the best available potential star we could get is Mayo. There has been people within the last few weeks that say he might actually be the best prospect in the draft yet Memphis gets him and its some sort of bad deal for them.
Love will be a fine player but no way will be better than Mayo. And love would be a hard player to market in Memphis and we need fans right now otherwise the franchise is going to move once again. We now have plenty of chips to move some guards for a PF. We also got Darrell Arthur who will be a steal for the 28th pick. Screw all you haters. Conley/Mayo/Gay will be a force to deal with
June 27th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
D'Antonio says:
I’m on board with Timmy D.
Their lineup nex year will be something like :
Conley-Mayo-Gay-Arthur-Gasol (Pau’s brother, Marc: a rough big guy)
Memphis is much better off short term and long term.
Now, they need to trade some of their PG to get quality big guys and throw enough love and money at Mayo that he does not run away in 3 years… (the latter being the hardest part, but there’s nothing wrong with trying…)
June 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
hahns says:
@timmy D and dantoni
the reason this is a bad trade is the fact that they now have mayo, conely, lowry, jaric, and crittenton at the point. completely unecesary.
memphis/chris wallace redeems themselves if they can trade one of these guys to someone else for another guy like love. maybe to the heat for haslem?
June 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
mellamoernest says:
Everybody in Minnesota is hating this trade. Everybody still has wounds from the trade of Foye for Roy and Marbury for Allen on draft nights past. I still think Foye is going to be legit, if he stays healthy. It was pretty obvious Mayo didn’t want to come here by the look on his face last night and the fact he wouldn’t come here for a workout. In a couple of years, if not sooner, he would’ve been looking to bolt, just like Marbury. We got a guy who actually wants to play here and we got Miller too. I like this trade very much from a Timberwolves fan perspective.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Sam I Am says:
@ mellamoernest
Preach
June 27th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Arno says:
Well, Galinari is a proven player in euroleague, where every team would kick Kansas, Memphis or UCLA’s asses easy. He has a lot af energy, consistency, and a really good J. Is it enough for the Knicks ? Probably not. But who else ? Stop dreaming.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Sam I Am says:
Arno
Go away…no one cares about the Knicks or Galinari
June 27th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
rangerjohn says:
is it just me or does OJ MAYO sound like someone is adding something to their order for lunch,
“yes i will have the #3 and ad oj mayo to it with a large coke”
June 27th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
I liked what they did. You forget to add that they got Darrell Arthur later on too. Still no shooting, but they have a quick, athletic team:
Conley
OJ
Gay
Arthur
Kwame/Darko (obviously that position needs improvement)
June 27th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
John Starks says:
Why are Knicks fans here commenting on this?
Any Knick fan thats bitching about Walsh and D’Antoni ALREADY is either 8 yrs old or a complete fucking moron.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
MaMba says:
man….the grizzlies would of had a duo of gay love…but now they the gay mayo duo
June 27th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
doc says:
For all you dudes Mayo is a 2 guard if I ever saw one.Im getting him over Love faster than you can say Kobe how my ass tastse.Great trade for memphis.They just got a all star for one reject dreamteamer and a big guy who the best thing people say about him is he got a dam outlet pass.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Kobeef says:
At first I was pissed that McInhale traded Love for Mayo because it was an obvious downgrade in talent but the Miller part of the deal is decent. Still, Sota got smacked in this trade and Al Jefferson looks like the next great low post player to have his career wasted by the Wolves
Memphis wasn’t winning anything next year so it was best to look at the future and OJ and Rudy are a nice combination to build around.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Sam I Am says:
Mayo will come up short in the end…trust n believe
June 27th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
doc says:
Fuck that Bullshit.I played with Mayo Last summer and he was the fucking trut then.I dont know what your version of coming up short is but he aint it.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
aj says:
It’s a win-win for both irrelevant teams. Both are better off for it now and in the future but neither still has much of a future.
Foye-Mayo would not have worked. Two bigs does work, two littles, not-so-much.
Love needs to be a #2 post-man, not a #1 with Darko and Kwame.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Sam I Am says:
I don’t believe he will make his team better in the long run. I see him as a S.Marbury prototype
too many times cats come in and just fail to understand the fundamentals of the game and focus too much on their individual skill
My opinion..
GO Wolves !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Michorizo says:
Mayo is a special talent that you need to take risks in getting in order to obtain … Memphis is swinging for the fences with Mayo, but i don’t question there attempt or means to aquire a talent like Mayo, but do you think Mayo is going to stick around after his rookie contract is over …
June 27th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
McHale made a good trade ?!?!?!?!?
He’s been reading NBA trades for dummies i guess, look who he picked on, the same guy that traded for Darko and Kwame years after their “potential” was exposed. Memphis is not too bright…
June 27th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Ross says:
I heard the Grizzlies are gonna trade Mayo to the Lakers for $38.12.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Michorizo says:
$38.12? … I have more faith in Kupchak than you…I bet he can talk him down to under $30
June 27th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Brown says:
Memphis signed Darko as a free agent.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
eyeused2b says:
@hahns
Mayo (6′4″) and Crittenton (6′5″) are combo guards who’ll likely spend all of their time at SG. Conley (6′1″) and Lowry (6′0″) are the true PGs, and if the rumors ring true, Lowry is probably going to be traded. Jaric (6′7″) is a utility player that plays PG, SG, and SF decently, and will be a nice backup to Gay. With the losses of Navarro and Miller, the Grizz are just two deep at each perimeter position if they decide not to trade any of them.
If Marc Gasol is as good as they claim, he could be an upgrade over Darko at C. At the very least, he’ll get some on-court experience b/c Collins (traded) and Kwame (unrestricted FA) won’t be in his way. Unless, of course, the Grizz shock the world and re-sign Kwame (Wouldn’t be much of a shock, I guess.). Warrick played well at PF when given the opportunity, and Darrell Arthur is supposed to be good. Who knows, even Walker may show up. He’s pissed about how the Wolves buried him on the inactive list, so he may play with a chip on his shoulder.
They will likely still be a terrible team next season, b/c they are so young, but I think their future looks better today than it did before the draft.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
AY says:
Gay-Love ended before it started; there’s to hoping that Gay-Mayo will have a chance. Mchale traded Mayo for 3 white guys: Love, Miller and Cardinal. There’s a premium to white nba players these days, and it won’t be easy to get your hands on them after utah and indiana.
It’s interesting that the two major league teams met in the nba finals, and their minor league teams are doing trades to shore up the future. It should be the way all nba franchises are run: get a minor league team in the same league, it’ll do wonders for your chances. In four years, Love will be in Boston and Mayo will be in LA, and david stern will have “tim donaghy memory” parts of our brain removed.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Dunkadelic TV says:
The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to make O J Mayo and Rudy Gay the new-era version of Michael and Scottie. O J Mayo can be a big-time scoring combo-guard. Look for Memphis to be a very explosive team with Rudy, O J, and Hakim Warrick the Music City “Dunkadelic-3″.