Lakers Rumors: OJ Mayo Could Be the Final Piece of Stellar Offseason for LA
There are a lot of teams that could benefit from the acquisition of O.J. Mayo this summer, especially teams that haven't done particularly well during the first couple of weeks of free agency.
The Lakers aren't one of those teams, so if they managed to steal Mayo away from Western Conference rivals that truly need him like the Mavericks and the Suns, their summer could be complete.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, L.A. is now one of several teams interested in the unrestricted free agent's services:
"Free agent G OJ Mayo getting interest from Lakers, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas and hopes to make decision in next 10 days, source tells Y!
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 14, 2012"
There are a handful of teams that really need Mayo, one of the few worthwhile free agent guards on the market this summer. The Mavericks lost Jason Kidd to the Knicks, the Suns lost Steve Nash to the Lakers and the Bulls are likely going to be without All-Star Derrick Rose for a big chunk of the first half of the upcoming season.
For them, Mayo's impact could be huge, and it's easy to see why. The former first-rounder was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, and in four seasons with the Grizzlies, he's averaged 15.2 points and 2.7 assists in about 33 minutes per game.
In 2011-12, Mayo ranked 12th in the league among all shooting guards in scoring per game, but his 40.8 field-goal percentage was better than at least three of the guards in the top 10.
For a team like the Mavericks or the Suns, Mayo isn't going to be able fix everything, given the huge new holes in each of their offenses. However, as a young player with significant offensive potential, he's a good start.
If he goes to the Lakers, he gives them a talented guard to pair with Nash, already the biggest free-agent signing of the summer. A Lakers backcourt that features Nash and Kobe Bryant with Mayo coming off the bench would be one of the toughest units to contend with in the Western Conference. That is, even for a team like Oklahoma City, arguably the Lakers' biggest competition in the West.
There are teams that need Mayo more than the Lakers do, but NBA life isn't fair. Of all the teams fighting for the right to sign him, the Lakers give Mayo the best chance of winning a title, and for a player who's never been closer than the conference semifinals, that's going to mean something.
Mayo has had a nice run with a young and talented Grizzlies team, but for him, a chance to play with two of the best guards in basketball could be a welcome change of pace.
L.A. has already had an excellent offseason, but adding Mayo could be the icing on the cake. Adding Mayo could give the Lakers the depth they need to get back to where they were two years ago.
