O.J. Mayo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Not Likely To Move Mayo

March 10th, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer says that Memphis has been trying to move O.J. Mayo for over a season now, Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld tweeted earlier that the Grizzlies are unlikely to make a move despite having received multiple offers for the fourth-year guard. If Memphis were to be involved in a trade this week, it will be a smaller, money-saving deal. (Twitter link)

Mayo has appeared to be comfortable in his reserve role as a scorer, and Lionel Hollins still manages to supply him with a substantial amount of minutes on the floor. The Grizzlies are 11-3 in their last 14 games, and Mayo's playing time has been near the 30 minute mark in nine of those contests.

Earlier this year, GM Chris Wallace handled the loss of Zach Randolph to injury by dealing guard-forward Xavier Henry for big man Marreese Speights. With Randolph recently being cleared for contact practice and eyeing a return to the court soon (according to The Sports Xchange of CBSsports.com), it would appear that there is no need for Memphis to make another move to add another big to the frontcourt, much less include Mayo in those type of talks.

During last year's deadline, the Grizzlies and Pacers had agreed in principle to send Mayo to Indiana but failed to submit the deal to the league office on time for approval.

Kennedy On Clippers, Allen, Celtics, Crawford

March 6th, 2012 at 7:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at some highlights from tonight's column from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld..

Over the next week and a half, the Clippers will make a strong push to land a starting shooting guard, according to multiple sources close to the situation. Los Angeles has been in search of a two-guard ever since losing Chauncey Billups for the year. As of right now, Randy Foye and Travis Leslie are the only true shooting guards on the roster and the club has expressed interest in Ray Allen and Jamal Crawford, according to sources.
The Celtics aren’t actively shopping Allen but are listening to offers. It’s unclear what Boston would want in exchange for the 36-year-old, though many teams have expressed interest in him.
Sources say that Crawford will opt-out of the final year of his contract to test free agency this summer and the Trail Blazers may look to move him before the deadline. The Clippers are expressing interest along with the Timberwolves. The Clips tried to sign-and-trade for Crawford over the offseason, but the Hawks didn’t want to take back any contracts.
Other two-guards who could be on the move include the Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo, Courtney Lee of the Rockets, and Anthony Morrow of the Nets. If any of the three guards are made available, the Clippers can be expected to be in the mix. Recently, I broke down the case for New Jersey parting with Morrow.
Sources believe that the Magic will hold onto Dwight Howard past the trade deadline. There are members of the organization who remain optimistic that Howard will re-sign this summer if the right moves are made. The Magic will pursue players like Steve Nash and Monta Ellis before the deadline, but it'll be an uphill battle due to their lack of trade chips outside of Howard.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Chandler, Lopez

March 4th, 2012 at 11:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With a few games into the second half of the season, the battle for the Atlantic Division crown and homecourt in the first round of the playoffs should only look to intensify over the next few weeks. The Celtics, riding a four-game winning streak, are only two games behind the Sixers for first place in the division while the Knicks remain just three and a half games out. Today brought more topics of discussion:

Bradford Doolittle of Basketball Prospectus (ESPN Insider link) examined the Atlantic Division and made some hypothetical trade proposals for both the Sixers and Celtics that could help them address some weaknesses. One deal would involve Philadelphia and Memphis in an Evan Turner-for-O.J. Mayo swap. Doolittle also suggests that Boston could explore dealing Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass, and Jermaine O'Neal to the Hornets in exchange for Chris Kaman.
Although Carmelo Anthony appears to be completely healthy after battling multiple injuries all season, Knicks teammate Tyson Chandler is becoming bothered by an injured left wrist, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York.
A report from HoopsWorld indicates that Nets center Brook Lopez rolled his right ankle against the Bobcats and left the arena in crutches. He will be evaluated again on Monday.
Former Celtic Jeff Green has been in Boston for the last two weeks, as he is being evaluated after undergoing heart surgery nearly two months ago. Green watched today's game on the Celtics bench and has expressed a desire to return to the team in the future, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald.

Kyler’s Latest: Gasol, Mayo, Delfino, Williams

March 2nd, 2012 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld began exploring trade options for all 30 NBA teams, sharing the latest rumors and rumblings along the way. Kyler discussed ten teams on Tuesday, and looks at ten more today. Here are some highlights from the piece:

The Pacers aren't looking to trade anyone, but would take advantage of their cap space to absorb salary if it meant acquiring a draft pick as well.
Lakers sources insist the team still views Pau Gasol as an All-Star and would only trade him if it meant getting another All-Star back. L.A. isn't currently pursuing Dwight Howard, and any move the team makes will probably involve its $8.9MM trade exception.
If the Grizzlies do anything before the trade deadline, it will likely involve O.J. Mayo, who has drawn interest.
Carlos Delfino is an attractive target for a few teams, but Beno Udrih is the more likely trade candidate to be dealt by the Bucks.
Trade talk surrounding Deron Williams could pick up before March 15th, if the Nets become concerned about their chances of acquiring Dwight Howard and signing Williams long-term.
Trevor Ariza and Jarrett Jack could be had, but the price for most Hornets is an unprotected first-round pick, which seems like a long shot.
The Knicks may consider moving Toney Douglas for a draft pick, in part to clear a roster spot for a player waived after the trade deadline.

Sam Smith on Bulls, Jackson, Mayo

February 24th, 2012 at 9:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The basketball Hall of Fame awarded veteran Chicago beat writer Sam Smith its Curt Gowdy Media Award, along with longtime Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely. The Hall also announced Bulls legend Chet Walker and ABA great Mel Daniels will be inducted this fall, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Reggie Miller, Maurice Cheeks, Bernard King, Ralph Sampson, Jamaal Wilkes and coaches Rick Pitino, Don Nelson, Dick Motta and Bill Fitch are finalists for induction who'll find out during college basketball's Final Four whether they'll be going in at the induction ceremony September 7th.

Fresh off the honor, Smith opened up his NBA.com mailbag and dropped a few bits of knowledge:

Derrick Rose probably wouldn't want the Bulls to acquire Pau Gasol. Smith believes the idea that Rose gave his blessing to such a trade is way off-base.
Carlos Boozer, who isn't likely to be traded and won't be amnestied anytime soon, will be in a Bulls uniform for a while, Smith says.
Even though Stephen Jackson isn't getting much run in Milwaukee, the Bucks are unlikely to buy him out.
Smith doesn't expect to see Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo, who was nearly traded to Indiana at the deadline last season, in any deals this year.
The Bulls are "thrilled" with coach Tom Thibodeau and want to keep him long-term, even though they have yet to pick up the option on his contract.

Reed On Sessions, Jamison, Mayo

February 19th, 2012 at 9:16am CST by Daniel Seco

In his latest edition of "Hey Tom!", Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer assesses what he believes the Cavs will do prior to the trade deadline. Let's take a look at some of his musings:

Reed expects the Cavs to make a concerted effort in trading point guard Ramon Sessions before the deadline. Sessions, 25, is in his second season with Cleveland and is currently averaging 10.4 PPG and 5.6 APG in 25.1 MPG. Earlier rumors linked the former Nevada star with the Lakers and Knicks, but the rise of Jeremy Lin and signing of J.R. Smith would seem to signal that New York is no longer interested in Sessions.
The Cavs are also looking to move Antawn Jamison whether that means trading him or buying him out. What makes Jamison difficult to trade, as also pointed out by Hoops Rumors writer Luke Adams, is the fact the Cavs would have to take back salary in any trade situation. The 35-year-old former Tar Heel is enjoying another solid season as he's averaging 16.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG in his third year with the team.
Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo would be a great piece to pair with the team's foundation of Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving. In responding to a proposed package of Omri Casspi and Daniel Gibson, Reed believes the Cavs would need to include more on their end in order for the trade to actually come to fruition. The 24-year-old former USC guard has been struggling this season as all of his minutes for the Grizzlies have come off the bench.

Celtics A Free Agency Possibility For Mayo

February 5th, 2012 at 8:08pm CST by Sean Highkin

Rich Keefe of CelticsHub.com interviewed O.J. Mayo before Sunday's Grizzlies-Celtics game, and the Memphis guard implied that he would be open to playing in Boston.

"It’s always been one of the top organizations in basketball," Mayo said. "Ever since you were a little boy start playing basketball you always heard about the Boston Celtics and Larry Bird, all the great players, it’s always been a great organization."

Mayo, 24, was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft and will be a restricted free agent after the 2011/12 season. He's averaging 12.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG this season.