NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Teams That Would Love To Land O.J. Mayo
Out of sight, out of mind.
There's no other way to efficiently describe the precipitous fall that O.J. Mayo has taken in his first three seasons in the league. After an extremely promising rookie campaign, where he averaged nearly 19 points, four rebounds and three assists per contest, Mayo's production and role have diminished, and he has most recently been asked to take a role off of the bench. He is set to return this week after a 10-game suspension sanctioned by the NBA.
With the recent enormous contracts inked by his teammates Rudy Gay and Mike Conley, the pending free agency of Marc Gasol and the team's success without Mayo (8-2), rumors have begun to run rampant that the Memphis Grizzlies could be shopping their once-prized guard.
The following are 10 teams that would benefit greatly by acquiring O.J. Mayo.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
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A frightening prospect for the rest of the league, Mayo would slide right in as the starting SG alongside the powerhouse combination of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Mayo and Durant played AAU ball together and have a relationship, and it would address one of the Thunder's few weaknesses, the shooting guard position.
9. Milwaukee Bucks
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Michael Redd makes his long-awaited season debut in the coming days, but Redd is on the wrong side of 30 and his contract is set to expire. The Bucks have trotted out John Salmons as their starting SG the majority of the year, but he is best served as the first man off the bench. A lineup of Brandon Jennings, O.J. Mayo, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Andrew Bogut would pack quite an offensive punch.
8. Utah Jazz
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The Jazz are quite familiar with the talents of O.J. Mayo and what he would bring to the team. Mayo would occupy a gaping hole in their starting lineup and would be by far the best backcourt teammate Deron Williams has had in his five years in Salt Lake City. The hypothetical acquisition of Mayo would catapult the Jazz into a wide open race for home court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
7. Indiana Pacers
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Over the summer the Pacers addressed their point guard situation with the trade for Darren Collison, and this winter they could fulfill their backcourt of the future if they traded for Mayo. The talent pool surrounding Danny Granger would be enriched significantly, and that would likely be enough to capture one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spots.
6. New Orleans Hornets
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Similar to Deron Williams, Chris Paul has never really had the opportunity to play alongside a bona fide shooting guard. Mayo and Paul would make sweet music in New Orleans, especially coupled with the established frontcourt of Ariza, West and Okafor.
5. New York Knicks
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Landry Fields has been an extremely pleasant surprise as the starting SG for the Knicks, but overall their backcourt lacks depth. Mayo would bring some perimeter shooting to the table, and head coach Mike D'Antoni is familiar with O.J. as he twice attempted to make the Olympic team where D'Antoni served as an assistant under Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
4. Toronto Raptors
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Tracy McGrady. Vince Carter. Chris Bosh. All three were All-Star players who opted to gut punch the fans of Toronto. Peruse the Raptor's roster, and you'll find that they are desperate for a marquee player to complement Andrea Bargnani. Mayo could flourish in Jay Triano's open offense, and perhaps Toronto could become a long-term home for the former USC Trojan.
3. Sacramento Kings
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The Kings know full well they need a legit backcourt mate to partner with Tyreke Evans, and Beno Udrih has been thrust into that role mostly out of necessity. Mayo and Evans are both shooting guards, but both have more than adequate handles. They've given seemingly everyone on the roster a shot at starting alongside Tyreke, without much success. It's high time to make a move. Geoff Petrie has a history of succeeding with 'buy low' additions (Mitch Richmond, Chris Webber, Mike Bibby). Plus it'd serve as the kind of splashy move to help fill the largely vacant seats at Arco.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Similar to Toronto, Cleveland is a city laden with passionate, supportive fans who are suffering from a severe gut punch themselves with the departure of LeBron James. The Cavaliers have since taken a significant fall from grace, going from the league's best record to the league's worst. Their roster has several holes and would really be aided by Mayo's talent.
1. Chicago Bulls
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Another team with a crater-sized hole at the two guard position, with the difference being that the Chicago Bulls are already considered fringe championship contenders without O.J. Mayo. Derrick Rose is a leading MVP candidate, they feature an outstanding frontcourt duo in Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, plus Luol Deng is enjoying a career year.
