Trade idea that involves Memphis and Boston

[gotjoker?]

OJ Mayo and Greivis Vasquez for Jermaine O'Neal and the 2011 first round pick.  The salaries work...

I like the idea for both teams because there isn't a long term commitment to all players involved in the trade.  Especially, if O'Neal decides to retire. 

Memphis could agree to this deal or one that's similar in an effort to help allivate their logjam at shooting guard.

Like Jeff Green this year, Mayo has one year left for next year for you to evaluate him and a qualifying offer to exercise should he prove to be worthy of retaining.  That is, if he lives up to or exceeds expectations next season.  Moreover, Greivis Vasquez, a combo guard, is a possible replacement to Delonte West (or Von Wafer) if you decide to move on from him this off-season.  Vasquez has three years remaining on his contract (the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons are team options) and a qualifying offer.  Both guards are in their early twenties so you would add two players having youth, confidence, perimeter shooting and three-point range and a scorer's mentality to the roster.  However, defense could be a concern for Vasquez.

Ainge and Rivers would use next season to evaluate these two players before the trade deadline or over the course of the regular season.  Again, you're really only committed to each one for next season.  After that, it comes down to what they [Ainge and Rivers] decide is the best direction to go in. 

Boston needs to find a successor to Ray Allen who's young, a shooter and a scorer among other things.  So why not take a chance on Mayo now and hope that he can develop into a bargain like Richard Hamilton was for Detroit.

[kn 99]

 I like both gaurds and both are better than von wafer. If we do this trade it is almost certain we will draft a big man, cough cough jordan williams, or sign a couple in free agency. Think they'll do it for bbd and the cavs secound rounder as well as the clippers first rounder

[screwedupmaniac]

Did you guys watch the same OJ Mayo as I did in this year's playoffs? Memphis would laugh at this proposed deal and would probably not take another phone call from Danny Ainge for a long, long time...

[GreenEnvy]

I like both gaurds and both are better than von wafer. If we do this trade it is almost certain we will draft a big man, cough cough jordan williams, or sign a couple in free agency. Think they'll do it for bbd and the cavs secound rounder as well as the clippers first rounder

This trade gives up our pick this year.

I don't know if BBD alone with any pick can net a good player.

If the S&T is still a viable option with the new CBA, the only value we are getting with him is adding him to a deal, but not the centerpiece.

[celtsfan619]

I say we go with JO and the pick for OJ and Darrel Arthur. salaries work almost perfectly too

[pearljammer10]

Unreal...

[CelticG1]

if only it were that easy

[steve]

The 25th pick in a bad draft is worth very little, it's a throw in. 

[gotjoker?]

Memphis would've traded Mayo to Indian for Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first round pick had Indiana hadn't changed their minds before the deadline.  McRoberts would've been an expiring contract which suggest that Memphis was more interested in the flexibility and the first round pick at the time.

Tony Allen, OJ Mayo, Xavier Henry, Greivis Vasquez and Sam Young all can play or rotate at shooting guard for Memphis.  So there does exist a justification to trade Mayo or somebody among this group.

Unfortunately, I admit that the time to trade for Mayo has likely passed for Ainge after reading the below article.  On the other hand, Ainge is savvy enough at his job that he can figure something out should the possibility to acquire Mayo arise this off-season and it's feasible to do so.

The Grizzlies tried to move Mayo at the February trade deadline by pairing up with Indiana Pacers, but it obviously didn't go through.

Owner Michael Heisley is not denying that a potential trade in the future could be in the makings, but he also stated that if he could bring his whole team back that would be something that he would prefer.

I highly expect that O.J. Mayo will be traded this offseason.

The Grizzlies have a lot of important pieces that they will be looking to make room for, and the honest assessment is that Mayo is probably the least important member of their team looking for an extension.

Because of Mayo’s great performance this season in the playoffs it is pretty easy to make the argument that his value right now as a trading piece is far greater than it ever would be on the open market.

There are many teams that would want a piece of the trade, and I’m almost positive that Memphis could demand a pretty good offer from potential suitors.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/709385-nba-trade-rumors-will-memphis-grizzlies-be-forced-to-trade-oj-mayo-in-offseason

[chambers]

We can still make the trade after the draft right?
So we can go after a few decent FA centers and then perhaps pick a big guy.
I like the idea but i'd be more worried about our size inside.
If we had a good 3-4 player rotation at the C spot then I'd jump head first on a trade like this.

Something tells me though, that if we are going to make a final run through the playoffs with these guys, that we're gonna need JO as a crucial part. He was a beast this year.

[Moranis]

Yeah that trade doesn't make any sense at all for Memphis.

On the other hand something like this does make a little more sense.

Boston gets OJ Mayo
Cleveland gets Rudy Gay
Memphis gets Wesley Matthews, #4, #25 (or Bos #1 next year, top 20 protected)
Portland gets J. O'Neal, JJ Hickson

[gotjoker?]

Yeah that trade doesn't make any sense at all for Memphis.

On the other hand something like this does make a little more sense.

Boston gets OJ Mayo
Cleveland gets Rudy Gay
Memphis gets Wesley Matthews, #4, #25 (or Bos #1 next year, top 20 protected)
Portland gets J. O'Neal, JJ Hickson

On the contrary, this trade makes no sense for either Cleveland or Portland.  Why would Cleveland want to trade their best young player, JJ Hickson, for Rudy Gay who isn't available.  And Portland isn't trading Wesley Matthews who was a godsend for them this season with Brandon Roy out indefinitely.  I would think Portland would try to trade Roy before Matthews if they'd their druthers.



"Geoff Calkins: Heisley says he's not trading Rudy and I'd believe him"
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/17/heisley-says-rudy-stays-id-believe-it/

[KCattheStripe]

Yeah that trade doesn't make any sense at all for Memphis.

On the other hand something like this does make a little more sense.

Boston gets OJ Mayo
Cleveland gets Rudy Gay
Memphis gets Wesley Matthews, #4, #25 (or Bos #1 next year, top 20 protected)
Portland gets J. O'Neal, JJ Hickson

This trade makes no sense for Memphis. The Grizz are poised to make the jump next year with a healthy Rudy starting in place of Sam Young and this trade gets rid f both him and their sixth man for Wes Matthews... excuse me...

WESLEY MATTHEWS!
...ahem.. and 2 draft picks in a weak draft that are not going to net you the quality player of Rudy or or OJ.

[KCattheStripe]

OJ Mayo and Greivis Vasquez for Jermaine O'Neal and the 2011 first round pick.  The salaries work...

Memphis won't get rid of OJ and Greivis in a straight salary dump, which this would be because they don't need a center, I could see them doing it for OJ when wing depth will be less of an issue  next year but they need and like Greivis.

[gotjoker?]

Memphis won't get rid of OJ and Greivis in a straight salary dump, which this would be because they don't need a center, I could see them doing it for OJ when wing depth will be less of an issue  next year but they need and like Greivis.

When I came up with this trade, I didn't say: Does Memphis need a center? It's about salaries and Boston doesn't have many salaries to trade or are willing to trade off at this time.  Hence, I was left with only Jermaine O'Neal to fit into my suggestion for a trade with Memphis.

Heisley is hesitant to trade Mayo, but Mayo is available for the right price.  And he wouldn't be "dumping" salary.  He would be trying to alleviate the congestion the team has at shooting guard.

Heisley is correct, besides Darrell Arthur and Hamed Haddadi, they've nothing in depth in their front court at the four and the five toward next season.  Glen Davis could offer them more size but not much in more height.  And since he isn't a center, an upgrade over Haddadi, Memphis would just be creating themselves a new logjam at power forward.

I sill believe Mayo can be had...  But, it'll be a tough task for Ainge with few trade assets.  Here's where one has to be inventive.



"I was the one guy who didn't think we should trade O.J. before," he said. "The reason we finally made the trade, in defense of Chris (Wallace), is that we had a lot more players at the guard position and not as many at the bigger positions. But do I want O.J. back? I want the whole team back. But if someone was going to tell me I could have LeBron James for Rudy Gay, I'd have to make that trade."