As you probably already know, the deal went as follows:
Memphis gets:
- Draft rights to PG O.J. Mayo (selected third by Minnesota)
- SF Antoine Walker
- G/F Marko Jaric
- SG Greg Buckner
- Draft rights to Kevin Love (selected fifth by Memphis)
- G/F Mike Miller
- PF Brian Cardinal
- C Jason Collins
O.J. Mayo: He'll start right away in Memphis (not that he wouldn't have in Minnesota) and will play off the ball with Mike Conley running the point, which will allow him to be more of a scorer at the NBA level. As a rookie, he should average 13-15 points.
Al Jefferson: He gets a running mate in Love that will eventually allow him to move back to his more natural power forward role. Love can hold his own in the paint offensively, which will limit the amount of double teams Jefferson will have to face. Look at what Amare Stoudemire was able to do after he moved back to power forward last season.
Darko Milicic: Having Love around in Memphis was going to cost him his starting job. Not only did he shake Love in this deal, but he also doesn't have to deal with defensive specialist Jason Collins taking his minutes anymore. He'll head into the season penciled in as the starting job and will be able to continue being a mediocre No. 2 Fantasy center. But boy will he block a lot of shots!
Antoine Walker: He was an afterthought in Minnesota last season and didn't play a lick in the second half of the season. He gets out of that situation, which was the only chance he'd have to revive any sort of Fantasy value. In Memphis, he'll provide much-needed scoring and outside shooting that the team lost when it traded away Mike Miller.
The trade will also have a negative affect on the Fantasy value of these players:
Rashad McCants: Miller will start at shooting guard, which means McCants gets pushed to the bench. He doesn't rebound and doesn't get a lot of assists, so losing playing time will affect his only real asset to Fantasy owners -- his scoring.
Ryan Gomes: He loses his starting job with Love in town and will not be getting nearly enough run off the bench to be useful in Fantasy. He's a great rebounder and a solid scorer, but his upside will mean nothing if he doesn't get the minutes.
