OJ Mayo to the Chicago Bulls: Guide to the Potential NBA Move

O.J. Mayo has been mentioned consistently as a possibility alongside Derrick Rose to solve Chicago's backcourt woes, evident throughout the 2010-11 NBA season.

The Bulls need to find a creative way to plug the obvious hole at shooting guard without compromising the club's long-term financial flexibility, as Chicago still needs to ink Rose to a long-term contract extension.

Mayo, who was demoted from the starting lineup in Memphis last season and even questioned if he still wanted to play the game at one point, could definitely benefit from a change of scenery following a maligned campaign.

The talented scorer isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season, so the Bulls will have to find a way to be creative in an effort to bring him into the fold before that point.

Chicago sorely needed a scorer to compliment Rose down the stretch last year, and Mayo has illustrated an inclination to find the net with regularity when given the opportunity.

Let's explore just how well he'd fit.

How It Could Happen: Trade

The Bulls are a very promising team with an immense amount of talent on the roster, but the club is going to need some help to take the next step and come out on top of the Eastern Conference.

Dwyane Wade went so far as to say that the team was just one player away from making a serious run, and it's pretty obvious that he was alluding to the shooting guard spot where the club failed to get any sort of production down the stretch.

The three-headed combination of Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans simply isn't going to cut it for a roster that has its sights set on securing a championship, and an upgrade is clearly necessary considering the way last season concluded.

Although Chicago has expressed some hesitance in prior deals due to a reluctance to part with their reserve big men, it's possible that a deal could be constructed should each side make a slight concession from the previous stance.

Potential Trade: Three-team deal

Memphis Receives: C Omer Asik, SG Randy Foye, second-round pick from Chicago

The Grizzlies have to find a reliable insurance policy behind Marc Gasol (assuming the team can re-sign him), and Asik represents exactly that.

Foye represents a veteran presence who can help to anchor the second unit and provide a scoring presence off of the bench.

Chicago Receives: SG O.J. Mayo, lottery-protected first-round pick from Los Angeles

The Bulls finally get Mayo to anchor the shooting guard spot and add a first-round pick to supplement the future talent of the club.

Los Angeles Receives: SG Xavier Henry, SG Ronnie Brewer, second-round pick from Memphis

The Clippers add another youthful piece to the puzzle in Henry, and Brewer's defensive prowess on the perimeter would be greatly welcomed on a club that could definitely use help at that end of the floor.

How Mayo Fits in with the Bulls

As it's been hinted in the first two slides, Mayo's addition would be a welcome sight not just for Derrick Rose but for the entire Chicago roster.

A proven volume scorer who can catch fire at a moment's notice, Mayo would provide for an element to the Bulls team that the club simply lacked throughout the season.

While Chicago certainly managed fine for the majority of the season (62 regular season victories), the lack of production from the shooting guard position really burned the team down the stretch and into the postseason.

Despite all of the offensive options packed into this potent offense alongside Rose in Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and even Joakim Noah, the Bulls struggled to find scoring when it mattered most, and the team fell short of reaching the championship round.

There is plenty of time for the Bulls to evaluate the long-term picture and see which pieces fit the puzzle best, but Mayo's addition should be welcomed and embraced should he land in Chicago.

Chances of Bulls Winning a Championship with Mayo

The Bulls would be a better team with O.J. Mayo in the fold.

While it may be obvious to some because he is viewed as an upgrade over the internal options, the game of basketball isn't played on paper.

As we saw with the Miami Heat in 2010-11, team chemistry isn't always easy to achieve, but Mayo's style of play would be one that compliments the current team.

Someone who takes solace in his ability to control the flow with mid-range jumpers and a sweet stroke, Mayo could really provide for a necessary alternative in the offense going forward.

Chicago relied far too heavily on Rose's play-making abilities, and Mayo would give the reigning MVP a running mate who certainly won't shy away from the spotlight.

Despite his demotion from Memphis' starting five last season, Mayo took his decreased playing time in stride and always stayed ready on the bench when his number was called.

Odds of Landing in Chicago

Current Odds: 30 percent

If trades were easy to facilitate, the odds for this move would be a good amount higher.

However, they're not.

The Bulls have a lot of assets on the roster, and the team knows it.

Despite both Noah and Boozer in the frontcourt, the team has a very valuable bench tandem of Omer Asik and Taj Gibson, and the club is in no hurry to move either one.

While Chicago is going to have to relinquish something of value in an effort to land Mayo, it's more likely that the team will angle to give up some of its less valuable pieces (Brewer, Bogans) coupled with draft picks in an effort to pacify the current stance of the club's decision-makers.

A pairing of Mayo along with Rose would give the Bulls one of the most explosive tandems in the league (and arguably the most explosive), and it's one that both the team and its fans would likely be big fans of if the move can be facilitated.