By: Marques Eversoll
For the Milwaukee Bucks, the 2012-13 season ended April 28 when they fell to the eventual NBA Champion Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
And through the early stages of the offseason, the Bucks have continued their losing ways. Starting shooting guard Monta Ellis opted out of his deal, swingman Mike Dunleavy signed with the Chicago Bulls and sharpshooter J.J. Redick landed with the Los Angeles Clippers via a sign-and-trade.
But according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Bucks are close on a multi-year contract with free agent guard O.J. Mayo.
Mayo, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, spent four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies before signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks last summer. Mayo started all 82 games for the Mavericks in 2012 and averaged 15.3 points per game.
Ellis, Dunleavy and Redick combined for 42 points per game, so the addition of Mayo fills a gaping hole in Milwaukee’s backcourt alongside point guard Brandon Jennings.
Jennings, a restricted free agent, just finished his fourth season as the Bucks’ starting point guard and recently suggested he’s open to a return to Milwaukee.
Many expected the Bucks to add an NBA-ready guard in last month’s NBA Draft. Instead, the Bucks opted for Greek swingman Giannis Antetokounmpon with the 15th overall pick.
Antetokounmpon was the youngest player in the draft and is likely a couple years away from serious playing time. The Bucks will certainly hope this investment pays off after sending promising young forward Tobias Harris to the Orlando Magic for a 28-game rental of Redick at the trade deadline.
The biggest positive to come out of the 2012 season for Milwaukee was the emergence of center Larry Sanders, who finished third in the voting for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. Sanders and 2012 first-round pick John Henson will be key as the Bucks look towards the future.
The backcourt was a strength for the Bucks last season offensively, but the combination of the 170-pound Jennings and the 185-pound Ellis had obvious defensive limitations.
Mayo, listed at 6’4” 210, will give the Bucks perhaps their most complete shooting guard since they drafted Jennings No. 10 overall in 2009.
Prior to Mayo, the Bucks had been tied to free agent guards Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith. Milwaukee could still be a landing spot for Korver as a natural replacement for Redick, but Mayo’s arrival essentially closes to door on a potential Smith signing.
Arguably more so than any other major sport, the NBA is a star-driven league. Jennings may be the closest thing the Bucks have had to star player since Ray Allen, but in order to get out of NBA no-man’s land, Milwaukee needs to land a game-changer.
And because Milwaukee isn’t the most attractive destination for top-tier free agents, the Bucks’ best chance at becoming a contender is via the NBA Draft.
This year’s draft was one of the weaker classes in recent memory, but next year figures to be loaded in the lottery. Prized recruit Andrew Wiggins, the odds-on favorite to be next year’s top pick, will play collegiately at Kansas for a year before likely turning pro.
The arrival of Mayo in Milwaukee certainly makes the Bucks’ starting five look a little more like an NBA rotation, but only time will tell whether or not the move was worth it or if it prevented them from landing a new face of the franchise.
Marques is an intern at Cumulus Broadcasting and a communication major at UW-Green Bay. Check out some of his stuff at ALLGBP.com, and follow him on Twitter @MJEversoll.
