It turns out that UCLA’s Kevin Love won’t have to fret about gaining weight from that scrumptous Memphis barbeque.
And it turns out that USC guard O.J. Mayo won’t have to splurge for a new wardrobe of winter clothes.
In the biggest blockbuster draft trade Thursday night, the Memphis Grizzlies traded the rights to Love to the Minnesota Timberwolves, for the draft rights to Mayo, as part of an eight-player deal.
In addition to Mayo, whom the Timberwolves used the No. 3 overall pick to draft, Minnesota sent forward Antoine Walker, and guards Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner to the Grizzlies.
Memphis sent Love, whom they picked at No. 5, along with swingman Mike Miller, forward Brian Cardinal and center Jason Collins to the Timberwolves.
So, Mayo swaps his Timberwolves’ cap for a Grizzlies’ cap and Love turns in his Memphis cap for a Minnesota cap.
“I was actually hoping I’d go (to Minnesota),” Love said, immediately after learning he had been drafted by Memphis. “I believe I could play well beside Al Jefferson.”
The trade ends the long speculation that Miller would be traded. He nearly was dealt to the Clippers prior to last February’s trading deadline but the deal fell through because Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and team owner Donald T. Sterling were not communicating at the time.
Miller is one of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters and his acquisition by the Timberwolves should create even more scoring opportunities inside for Jefferson.
Cardinal parlayed a strong season in 2003-2004, with the Golden State Warriors, into signing a 5-year contract , as a free agent with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2004. He still has two years and $13,050,000 remaining on that deal but was rarely in the rotation this past season.
Walker, conversely, no longer fit into Minnesota’s plans and chafed this past season at spending long stretches on the bench.
However, it will be curious to see how veterans Jaric and Buckner fit into the Grizzlies’ youthful backcourt, especially with Mayo joining point guard Mike Conley, who was a rookie this past season.
Minnesota fans, no doubt, will be looking at this mega-deal closely. It was just two years ago, when the Timberwolves traded the draft rights of Brandon Roy to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to Randy Foye and cash.
Roy ended up being named the NBA’s rookie of the year in 2006-2007. Meanwhile, Foye has battled an assortment of injuries and has yet to fulfill his potential.
If Love and Mayo think their heads are spinning from the events of Thursday night, they have nothing on Foye.
The Boston Celtics selected Foye at No. 7, then traded him that night to Portland. That same night, Portland traded Foye’s rights to Minnesota.
