According to ProBasketballTalk, the Grizzlies have agreed to send O.J. Mayo to the Pacers for Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush. This was the deal that almost came to fruition at the trade deadline last year, but was nixed because the Hornets pulled out at the last minute (quite literally) and the trade fell through. That deal would have netted the Grizzlies with McRoberts and a first round pick. Here are some quick thoughts on the trade as it is being reported right now.

I like O.J. Mayo. I always liked him as a player. Something about him made the Grizzlies uniform look cool in a way that only Rudy Gay could surpass. That being said, O.J. took a major step backwards last season. He came in averaging right at 18 points per season, and last year he dropped drastically to 11 points per game. His minutes per game dropped as well from 38 mpg to 26 mpg. I suppose you could argue that he didn’t score as much because he didn’t play as much. But here’s the thing: in October and November he played in 18 games. He averaged nearly 32 minutes per game during that stretch. His minutes took a nose dive around December and he averaged around 22 minutes per game the rest of the season. Around that same time, the Grizzlies figured out what they had with Tony Allen. The team took on a new identity in playing a tough, defensive minded game. O.J. Mayo, for all his accomplishments, is a weak defender at best. Pairing him with Mike Conley in the back court was always a tenuous defensive situation, one that many teams in the league took advantage of regularly.

Bringing in Brandon Rush actually brings in a bigger, more athletic guard who has a career 3 point shooting percentage of 40%. O.J. was a 37% 3 point shooter. I think this is what the Grizzlies are looking at when they added Rush to the trade. McRoberts is, at worst, another big body who can spell Gasol, Randolph and Arthur. I think at best, he is a great backup if injuries strike or Arthur walks away during free agency next season.

I still feel like the Grizzlies are selling low on Mayo. However, if they knew they weren’t planning on using him anymore than they did last year, I don’t think his trade value could have been improved. Do I like the Grizzlies trading a quarter for two dimes? No. Do I sorta, kinda see what they may be thinking? Yeah…maybe. I can only hope the Grizzlies know what they may be thinking. I wish O.J. the best, but it is going to hurt watching him if he “rediscovers” his touch.

**Update** The trade is now being reported as dead…and furthermore, that O.J. isn’t being moved anywhere. Interesting.