NBA Free Agency 2012: Phoenix Suns Should Target O.J. Mayo

The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a max contract with Eric Gordon, but the New Orleans Hornets will reportedly match the deal. That would leave a hole at shooting guard for Phoenix—a hole that could be filled with free agent O.J. Mayo.

Mayo did not get his fair share in Memphis the last couple years, as he was demoted to a bench role and saw his minutes go down by around 12 minutes per game. As a result, his numbers dropped and he was destined for free agency. The Grizzlies did not offer him a qualifying offer, and his unrestricted free agency began.

Looking back at Mayo's first two seasons, he averaged 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals. That's not bad for someone getting starting minutes, and similar numbers certainly would be welcome in Phoenix.

The Suns obviously will wait to see what happens with Gordon first, but Mayo would not be a bad consolation prize for a team desperate for scorers. The Suns would have a ton of cap space and could offer Mayo the starting job he wants. An appropriate deal for Mayo would be something similar to the three years and $18 million given to Michael Beasley.

Seems like a win-win situation to me.