MELBOURNE coach Dean Bailey has ruled out sacrificing early draft picks to lure Brisbane Lions forward Jonathan Brown.

Bailey spoke with dumped chief executive Paul McNamee about the out-of-contract Lions captain, but revealed yesterday it was "a work in progress" and nothing more.

"Paul put forward a commercial proposition in regards to Jonathan Brown," Bailey said.

"There was a lot of things discussed from Paul's point of view and from our point of view. We put forward the football situation and the discussion was still going. As I've said, in the national draft we'll draft young players and I've said it since I first got questioned about drafting a month ago.

"We intend to use the national draft for our first pick (and) there's enough talent in the draft for our first two picks or three picks to come out of the draft."

Bailey said he was not consulted by the Jim Stynes-led board about McNamee's sacking and only learned about his removal after the decision was made.

McNamee, a former tennis and golf administrator, held the job for just four months after being appointed by the former board.

While not ruling out interest in Brown, Bailey said there was "a clear indication" from the club's recruiting department, which he supported, regarding draft picks.

"We've got some really exciting players who are just starting to show some good signs and we'll use the draft to ensure we have continued success, not just a short spike and then come back to the pack."