NBA Trade Rumor: Why OJ Mayo and the Chicago Bulls Are a Perfect Fit

The Chicago Bulls need another guard who can create his own shot to complement Derrick Rose. The Memphis Grizzlies have a surplus of just that sort, with OJ Mayo siphoning minutes from fellow young guns Xavier Henry and Sam Young.

Hmmm...(strokes patchy beard)...can you say, "Let's make a deal"?

In losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls learned the hard way that Derrick Rose, as terrific a player and deserving an MVP as he is, cannot and will not be able to deliver another Larry O'Brien Trophy to the Windy City on his own. He's not Michael Jordan, and not even No. 23 could've captured as many titles as he did without Scottie Pippen and a well-crafted cast of role players situated around him.

Granted, the cupboard at the United Center isn't exactly bare. Tom Thibodeau didn't goad his team into the best regular-season record in the NBA—he had some pretty good players to get the job done.

Just not another player truly capable of creating for himself and his teammates. That task too often fell to Rose last season, with the likes of Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer and Joakim Noah—quality role players all—standing around, waiting for their superstar point guard to deliver the ball in the right place.

Mayo is hardly one to stand around and, as such, is exactly the type of player the Bulls need to complete a championship-caliber roster. Mayo's never met a shot he didn't like, which would normally be a bad thing but, for Chicago, is an attribute that is all too absent out of No. 1.

More importantly, the Grizzlies have demonstrated a willingness to trade OJ in the past. The Bulls were in the mix for him at the trade deadline earlier this year, as were the Indiana Pacers, whose deal for Mayo fell apart at the last minute.

Of course, Memphis wasn't looking to unload Mayo for the fun of it. The team had grown tired of his antics, from showing up late to practices and fighting with teammates to testing positive for banned substances.

Mayo is hardly a model citizen, but taking him on is a risk the Bulls must be willing to take if they're to have a legitimate chance of contending for a title out of the ever-improving Eastern Conference. As unsavory a character as Mayo may be, there's no denying that he's a tremendously talented player whose skill set matches up too well with Chicago's needs to ignore.

And if the Pacers could've gotten OJ for Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick, then surely the Bulls can get their man with, say, a draft choice and Omer Asik.