Missed OJ Mayo Trade

David Aldridge reports

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said Thursday that he and his team did not pull out of a proposed deal that would have sent guard O.J. Mayo to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for power forward Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick.

“Indiana was not able to get it all together,” Heisley said in a telephone interview. “People are going to say I have reservations (about the proposed trade). I think from our point of view, we were interested in the trade going forward. It was a very, very difficult conversation for us. It took us a long time to decide. We were getting a lot of players at the two and three position and we were getting a little skinny at the four. We had three candidates we were looking at and when we decided on one, O.J. had to be part of that trade. It wasn’t that we were anxious to get rid of him.”

Hmm … interesting trade.

In terms of talent, this would be a big win for Indiana.

However, I believe Indiana would have used OJ Mayo as a two guard alongside Darren Collison and Danny Granger. Build around those three long term with Hibbert at center and I think that trio is highly flawed. Too weak defensively and on the backboards.

Overall, I would expect Indiana to get worse by making this trade. By losing Josh McRoberts who is a decent glue guy and creating a flawed dynamic within their roster.

If Indiana were to acquire OJ Mayo and develop him as a PG + shift Darren Collison out in a trade that brought a new wing or forward to the club … I think this could have been a major win for them.

As for Memphis, I am shocked they considered making this trade. I don’t think that Indy draft pick is valuable enough to consider parting with Mayo. That said, I am delighted to hear that they are looking to move him because Mayo is a poor fit for their roster as a two guard (a poor two guard wherever he goes).

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Tagged: Grizzlies, NBA, Pacers, Trade Talk

Posted in: Trade Talk