NBA Trade Rumors: Will Memphis Grizzlies Be Forced to Trade OJ Mayo in Offseason
With O.J. Mayo nearing restricted free agency in 2012, the Memphis Grizzlies are going to be forced to really consider what they are going to do with his contract in the upcoming season.
A possible trade would get the most value out of Mayo, who would easily be worth at least one other high caliber player in return, but you also can’t rule out the possibilities of a re-sign after the restricted year runs out.
Let’s take a look at Memphis’ options regarding this situation: Re-sign or trade
Re-Sign
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Mayo is due to make $ 5.63 million next season, and you would have to assume that the Grizzlies would be forced into looking at a pretty lucrative and long-term deal if they are wanting to bring Mayo back once he hits unrestricted free agency.
The problem is that the young core they put together is worth a whole lot of money already, and I’m not sure if they have all the necessary room to considering bringing everybody they want back.
The Grizzlies have $76.4 million committed to this year’s team.
Rudy Gay and Mike Conley Jr. are both signed to big deals, so Mayo would be fighting for contract room with center Marc Gasol, who is on the final year of his current deal.
The impending NBA lockout is going to play a factor as well. Depending on how things are re-structured it might become easier for a re-sign, but I highly doubt it.
Trade
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The Grizzlies tried to move Mayo at the February trade deadline by pairing up with Indiana Pacers, but it obviously didn’t go through.
Owner Michael Heisley is not denying that a potential trade in the future could be in the makings, but he also stated that if he could bring his whole team back that would be something that he would prefer.
There are a ton of teams that could be in the running for Mayo and obviously many teams that would want his services.
I would suggest that a team like the Pistons would be in the front seat for a trade given the amount of clogging that they have in their backcourt, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grizzlies tried to take another shot with Indiana or even a contender like Chicago.
As far as rumors are concerned, the Knicks name keeps coming up as a potential suitor according to bucketsoverbroadway.com.
If there was a team that had the pieces and the want to make that trade happen it would be the Knicks, so that is something I will definitely be keeping my eyes on.
Conclusion
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I highly expect that O.J. Mayo will be traded this offseason.
The Grizzlies have a lot of important pieces that they will be looking to make room for, and the honest assessment is that Mayo is probably the least important member of their team looking for an extension.
Because of Mayo’s great performance this season in the playoffs it is pretty easy to make the argument that his value right now as a trading piece is far greater than it ever would be on the open market.
There are many teams that would want a piece of the trade, and I’m almost positive that Memphis could demand a pretty good offer from potential suitors.
Obviously these are all rumors and nothing happens until it happens, but stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated information on this situation.
I will keep you posted.
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports
