NBA Draft Trade Rumors: Michael Beasley to Memphis
Michael Beasley (photo. KSU)With news in Miami that Shawn Marion isn’t going to opt out of his contract, the Heat have reopened trade negotiations with the Grizzlies for the second pick in Thursday’s draft.
Last week we heard a rumor about the Heat choosing Beasley and sending him and Mark Blount to Memphis in the event that O.J. Mayo slid down to No. 5 in a package with Mike Miller.
ESPN Insider reported today that Pat Riley asked to sweeten the deal with Mike Conley and the No. 5 pick for Daequan Cook and No. 2. At five, Riley could choose from Kevin Love or Brook Lopez – two prospects he really likes.
That’s a starting lineup of Conley, Wade, Marion, Love and possibly ‘Zo.
Or if Riley thinks that he could swing a Danny Ainge and add multiple blue chippers to his squad, the Heat could pull the trigger on that deal, choose Lopez at No. 5, and then go after Elton Brand with keys to a South Beach palace. Surely Heat CEO Mickey Arison would make the finances work, but they’re not far off as is.
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And for all those who think that this move is right for the Heat, there’s an unnamed NBA GM who thinks that anyone who passes on Beasley is sorely mistaken.
“Michael Beasley is far and away the best player in this draft,” the GM said. “He’s going to dominate in this league. How could you pass on him? I know everyone is talking about character this and character that, but come on, he’s not a bad kid.”
As for Rose, the GM says he thinks he’s overrated: “Derrick Rose is a good player, I get that. But he’s not a franchise player. I don’t think people are getting with Rose what they think they’re getting. He’s athletic and plays really hard. But he has just decent court vision and can’t take over a game offensively.”
When asked about the Heat possibly passing on Beasley at No. 2, the GM said, “It’s a joke. He’s so much better than anything the Heat are going to get offered. I don’t understand it.”
June 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
fallinup says:
From a win now stand point…this would be a good move for Riles. Marion and Wade are good together. Plus they get Conley whom I think is going to have an impact year if he gets to run without all of the PG competition he saw in Memphis against Lowry. Plus they still get the #5 pick…I’d probably take Lopez for the size factor and keep Haslem around. That’s not a bad trade for Miami.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:58 am
miamiVIS3 says:
Fuck winning now I’m tired of that that’s all we get down here we win a title than either huizinga (botched the spelling) blows the team up or in the case of the Heat they suck and dismantle themselves. PAT RILEY PLEASE BUILD FOR THE FUTURE AND TAKE BEASLEY PLEASE!and if you want brand or mike miller you cam easily trade Matrix or Haslem.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Kobeef says:
Smoke and mrrors folks…
I’ll say it again, Riles is doing all he can to make it look like he thinks Beasley isn’t worth the #2 pick.
As the quoted GM says, B’easy is the best player in the draft and Riley wants him BAD. Remember that the heat tanked the season and Riles left the bench to scout B’easy before Rose went on his tournament run.
Wade, Matrix and B’easy is an awesome combo. You could have Bargnani at Centre and they’d still be a top rebounding team.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:08 am
dmitry of jersey says:
“Fuck winning now”
Yes that’s a great attitude to have in sports. Are you sure you’re not a Clippers fan?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:19 am
miamiVIS3 says:
That attitude comes from as I mentioned experiencing empty Championships from the Marlins and Heat and seeing young talent for example Caron Butler & Lamar Odom being squanderd away in the name of winning now. I have dreams about where the Heat could be right now with acore of those two and Wade and I have nightmares about throwing away a trio of Wade, Beasley Matrix or if they trade Matrix Possibly Lamar again or Elton Brand.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:20 am
YOUNGFED says:
Finally someone has said what i’ve been saying all along. Thank you mistery GM.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:30 am
dmitry of jersey says:
With Caron Butler you would have a guy who is injured half the year and with Odom you’d have one of the premier chokers in the NBA.
The Heat were terrible bc they lost all their ROLE players (Posey, Kapono) and bc of injuries to Wade, Zo, and Haslem. In the end, you got Marion to replace Odom … so your champtionship cost you Caron Butler. I’d take that any day.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:46 am
miamiVIS3 says:
You make a good point dmitry although I’d still much rather have Beasley end of story.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Blue says:
i’m with miamiVIS3…
the heat should learn their lesson from several years ago. selling your future to win now will only come back to bite you in the ass. if beasley is everything that they say he is, then anybody would be foolish to pass up on him. at worst, next year, the heat make the playoffs but lose in the first round if they take beasley.
take beasley, try to get rid of marion for a equally vauled big or mid valued big and a likewise PG. seriously, all this trade talk about beasley is pissing me off, but then again rumors about d-wade being traded have come up, and we all that’s bullshit!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:51 am
doc says:
If that is the GM of lets say Memphis does it really matter what that dickhead says.Pat Riley is telling Mike Beasley tell me how my ass tastes.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Kudabeen says:
If there is truth in this trade the Heat would be better served with picking up Lowry IMO. better defender and just plays with that fire and energy. Heat may be trying to play small ball, but picking up Beasley wouldn’t hurt that. He rebounds, scores down low, handles well, and has a J. I guess if you can trade him dump a bad contract and pick up Miller and a quality young PG go for it.
Also, how doesn’t Rose have the capacity to take over offensively? I thing he does a great job of picking his spots, but then again they said the same things about D Wade… They have very similar games, but I’m not surprised seeing that they are breed from the same city…
June 24th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Jeffrey says:
What ever happened to Jason “White Chocolate” Williams?
June 24th, 2008 at 11:14 am
miamiVIS3 says:
he’s a free agent and we don’t want him.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:16 am
nerditry says:
See, I’m absolutely cool with the Heat drafting Beasley and taking Marion for a one year test drive. The key is going to be how they deal with bigger PF since neither of those guys is bigger than 6′8″. Personally, I think I’d be far happier with Beasley and Brand than Marion, though Shawn is a marquee name for all-around defenders (check out the defensive stats for the Suns after he left).
Miami is close, but there’s plenty of house cleaning and attitude changing to take place. Let’s not forget that Wade is still recovering, is going to the Olympics and may against be worn out for the start of the 2008/09 season.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
hahahaha, well played Doc. this is going to keep on giving…
and I agree COMPLETELY w/ the “mystery GM” about Beasley (not necessarily about Rose.) In the end, I think what I thought when this first came out. Riley’s trying to BS his way into getting a good trade from someone (like Elton Brand and #7 for #2 and someone inconsequential to the Heat like Daequon Cook, not this Memphis one) or he is going to take Beasley.
Beasley’s questions are about attitude and maturity (shocker for a 19 year old!) not about warrants and guns. This is a non-issue. They’re taking Beasley unless they get blown away with a trade offer (and Chicago should really take him too. He’s literally EXACTLY what they need.)
June 24th, 2008 at 11:43 am
sans says:
It amazes me that the Bulls have gone sooo long without a low-post scoring threat, yet, somehow, they’re still going to pass on Beast. “It does not make sense–it don’t make sense–IF CHEWBACA LIVES ON ENDOR, YOU MUST ACQUIT”–Johnny Cochran. Besides, either Beast or Matrix can play the 4 or 3, most likely leaving Marion with the tougher D assignment. And then there’s Haslem, who can guard anyone and doesn’t need the ball at all to be highly effective. Fuck Small ball, think of all the giant picks that will be set if you run, Wade, Marion, Beast, Udonis, Zo. Then you still have Blount rolling in for minutes in the paint, Cook relieving the backcourt, and whatever’s left of Dorell Wright to fill in at the three. Buy the rights to Kopponnen from last years draft, or find a point somehow, and the Heat look alright.
Oh, and Kobeef, had no idea that you were Canadien..couldn’t see your beedy eyes or flopping head from here.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:55 am
DaPro says:
Miami is taking B’easy if he is available. Riles is playing mind games. Now way he passes on B’easy if he’s available.
The thing with the Bulls is they need either a low post scorer or an guard who can get himself and others easy buckets- both are available and I’m cool with either pick
June 24th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
giacomo says:
miamiVIS3 and blue
dude miami won a championship, howcan that count as a failure, they got exactly what they planned for- a few years of greatness (they were awesome the year before the championship) and they knew they would suck eventually. here are the franchises that have won the champion since jordan won his first: chicago, houston, san antonio LA miami and detroit. 6 teams out of the whole league. i think it was worth it
June 24th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
@ giacomo
I understand where your coming from but you have to understand that this isn’t just one team it’s a part of Florida’s pro sports culture we gather nice young talent and either those players reach thier prime and get traded or we trade them for older proven players win a Championship and suck. And no two good years was not worth last years embarassing sweep and this years 15 wins.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
@Miami, then you aren’t a real fan. To channel Herm Edwards (done as much as possible BTW:) “You play to win the game.” If you got a parade, it’s worth it. We’ll be in the same boat as you guys (shouldn’t get quite as bad, but around 2011 won’t be pretty) It’s all worth it. You take a shot at a chip when you can get it, they don’t come often…
oh, and it’s 7 teams since MJ. You missed one. here’s a hint, “LAST WEEK Kobe couldn’t do w/out me”
June 24th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Ashlov says:
David Stern’s going to be asking Shaq what his fine tastes like…
June 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
This has absolutly nothing to do with me being a true fan Celts. Watching D-Wade loft that ball into the air in Dallas was one of the most amazing sports moments in my life. But 15 wins in a season has really made me question from a basketball standpoint if it was worth it. And I gurantee you wheter the Heat wins 50 games this year or they win 5 games wheter they keep Beasley or trade him I’ll be there watching every game from my nosebleed seats and rooting for my team.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
dime
tell us what real trades are going to happen. not crappy rumors.
last year, portland traded zach randolph to the knicks on draft night for channing frye and steve francis.
you didn’t tell us about that in advance.
seattle traded ray allen to beantown for wally, delonte and #5 pick; you didn’t tell us about that either in advance.
we dont want rumors….tell us REAL trades that WILL happen BEFORE they happen
get on the phone and do something….
June 24th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Blue says:
i get where you guys are coming from, but one or two years isn’t very long to wait for 5 or 6 good solid years of being an elite team in the east. not to say that they were gonna do that with lamar odom and caron butler before, but right now they have a legit shot at being something great. with a 1-2 punch of wade and beasley, just put some good, young pieces around them, they’d rule (along with boston) the east for years.
not that the championship was a failure…shaq going to miami is mostly why i’m a heat fan, but they could’ve done a better job to ensure that there wasn’t a TOTAL meltdown.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
nerditry says:
@Miami : You know what you’re talking about. The Marlins won in 97, disbanded right after. Again 2003, everyone sold off and traded to the Sox. Now we’re back in contention and just need the pitching to come around for another title.
People need to know that most people in S. Florida are from somewhere else or their family came from elsewhere. That means if the local team ain’t winning, no one is going to show up (besides UM and the Dolphins). And once they are winning, your broke ass is watching at home.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
@Blue & Miami – they are in shape to do contend. They moved Shaq’s deal, got some cap space, suffered through a bad year, now they’re in position to have a combination of the following guys to build around:
DWade, Marion/Brand, and Beasley/Mayo
You make that deal 10 times out of 10 if you’re the Heat. You live through the bad years cuz you only play to win the title. Anything else is a failure. I’d go through the past 12 years of hell w/ the Celtics for this past year. I’d make the KG deal knowing that we are in the same boat as Miami in a few years. You clean house then, suffer through a bad year or 2, then reload (just like Miami is now.)
If you’re not looking to win a ring, then why follow the team? Would anyone honestly rather follow the 00’s Kings or Mavs who were constantly contending but never won anything over flash-in-the-pan teams like Miami or Boston who actually won titles but were quickly back to the pack? (the Celtics’ll be there within 2-3 years, I’m not kidding myself into believing otherwise, nor do I care. We got a ‘chip…)
June 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
I don’t think I’ve really made it clear how I feel about this issue. The trade that was mentioned that I felt would be squandering our future was trading Daquean Cook, Mark Blount and Mike Beasley for the No.5 pick(in the case Mayo is off the board) which would be K-Love or Brook Lopez (who are both inferior to Beasley) Mike Miller and Mike Conley (who I’m not too high on). Now a scenario where the Heat dump Blount’s contract get Mayo and Mike Miller and sign or trade for Brand I feel would be excellent. I also feel that drafting Beasley and trading Matrix for Brand would allow them too contend. There is a difference between making moves to win now (like the Heat did before) and drafting well and making moves to be a contender in a year or 2(like they could do now).
June 24th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Blue says:
my contention is just that they can either make their team great (wade, beasley & trade for brand) or above average (wade, mayo/love, & trade for miller).
June 24th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
when he said rose doesnt take over offensivly he meant, your rarely going to see rose put a team on his back and put up 30 or something liek that, and he never had huge assists games which is a knock against his court vision.
The heat should draft beasly at #2, and a athletic center who can get up and down in the second round (hardin from cal or thompson from rider) and if they really need a new pg, trade haslem for tj ford or juan barra and a pic.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
@ Bron
I love the optimism but the Heat oick 52 in the second round so yeah both those guys will probably be out of reach I like James Gist from Maryland there but if Hardin is there that would be a dream.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
ya but gist is only 6′8, so him, 6′7 marion, 6′7 beasly, arent really a big front line. I’d take dorsey over him anyway in that kind of system since he wouldnt ask for shots. They just need any decent tall guy who can get up the court and isn’t 190lbs in teh process. A poor mans tyson chandler will do and not another earl barron or wayne simien.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
matt says:
Beasley is 6′8. What 6′8 power forward has taken a team deep in the playoffs? Ever? Seriously there is a cutoff for bigmen and that is 6′10 and up. If you’re best or second best player is not 6′10, (and Air Jordan is not on you’re squad) you are not going to win the ring. Although LeBron might prove to be another exception…but then again he might not.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Lee says:
Barkley got to the finals … he just came up against MJ