Unrestricted free agent O.J. Mayo is a hot commodity and can list the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks among his suitors.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported the widespread interest in the shooting guard and the timetable Mayo has set to choose a new home.
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
Mayo, who is 24 years old, was taken third overall in 2008 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft day.
He has spent all four years of his career in Memphis and has averaged 15.2 points per game.
He averaged 18.5 points a night in his rookie season, then 17.5 points in his sophomore campaign. He was a starter for the Grizzlies during this time.
But the streaky scoring that made him a star in college was not as evident in the past two seasons, as he switched to a sixth-man role. He averaged just 11.3 points on 40.7 percent shooting in 2010-11, and 12.6 points on 40.8 percent shooting this past year.
The Grizzlies opted not to extend a qualifying offer at the beginning of the free-agency period, and Mayo has patiently waited for the free-agency market to play out. Royce Young of CBS Sports reports that the team would have owed him $7.4 million.
His high salary, his drop in production over the past two seasons and concerns over his mediocre defense and inconsistent effort were all likely motivating factors in Memphis’ decision to let him walk.
Still, Mayo is capable of being an explosive scorer with unlimited range when he is focused. His youth and talent give him tremendous upside, and there will be plenty of competition for his services over the next 10 days.
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